“Free domain”. You must’ve read this “slogan” somewhere when searching for a reliable hosting plan for your business website. This can be very captivating for you. It’s only when you commit to that provider that you come to know that it was only a trap. Then, you’ll find every hosting provider promising a “99.9% uptime”. This will lure you to purchase their hosting plan. It’s revealed that this was only a deception. The real uptime isn’t up to par with the required standards.

When you sign up for a hosting package for your new website, don’t get confused when it disappoints you. This is very common in today’s world. We’re talking about scammers putting on the mask of “reliable hosting providers”. There have been many instances when a business opts for a seemingly “robust hosting plan” and ends up with the worst website performance. That’s because it’s easy to feel carried away by all those top-notch offers without validating the claims made by various hosting companies. When you do so, you’re stuck with an immature vendor who turns out to be a scammer.

This guide will highlight the top hosting scams businesses must look out for.

5 Common Hosting Scams You Must Be Aware of

There’s a famous “fake data center” scam in the hosting world that most new website owners don’t know about. Con artists may represent their infrastructure to appear more reliable and secure than they are. They’ll also make it very difficult for you to cancel the plan that you don’t find helpful. This is done by keeping the cancellation terms vague. Then, there are those who advertise their initial deals as the “standard price” without revealing the renewal fees.

Below are the five common hosting scams you must be aware of:

1.      Free Domain Traps

The first thing that scammers do in the hosting world to trap website owners is to offer a “free domain”. In fact, this deceptive practice has become more common than ever. There are a number of hosting providers who use this “slogan” to lure businesses that need a hosting solution for their online stores. You’ll keep enjoying the offer until the reality is revealed.

When the “time for renewal” comes, you’re asked to pay a hefty renewal fee. Then, you come to know that it’s more expensive than if you had purchased it outright. You also lose control of your domain name because the provider retains ownership. This can prevent you from transferring to a different host when they’re exposed.

2.      Fake Uptime Guarantees

Uptime is what concerns website owners the most. That’s why many scammers use this concern to trap them. You see, every business that owns a digital storefront looks forward to maximum uptime. What swindlers do is promise “99.99%” to captivate the attention of site owners. This is more of a deceptive marketing tactic than reality.

These individuals entrap people by using manipulative strategies, like miscalculating. They calculate uptime in a way that completely disregards factors like the impact of frequent, shorter outages. The service level agreement contains vague clauses that make it challenging for you to claim the promised credits for downtime.

3.      Fake Data Centers

A “fake data centers” deception in the hosting world is when a provider claims to own a vast network of high-tech data centers. Whereas this claim has nothing to do with reality. It’s just something they use to attract new customers. Falling prey to this scam can cause the following troubles for website owners:

·         Performance and reliability issues

·         SEO penalties

·         Security vulnerabilities

·         Data loss

·         Financial loss

Scammers make this scam work by using deceptive marketing. They run extensive marketing campaigns with photos and videos of modern data centers. This whole operation looks so real that businesses end up believing these fake promises.

4.      Unclear Cancellation Terms

You’ll see many hosting providers including cancellation terms in their plans. You can say it’s a “near universal” practice. But when it comes to scammers, they use this critical aspect to scam people. Their so-called “cancellation terms” will be vague. Here’s how:

·         Hidden clauses

·         Fine prints

·         Automatic renewals

·         Specific communication requirement

·         Excessive early termination fees

There’s also another tactic that we know as the "roach motel" cancellation. They use this negative approach to make it easier for customers to get into the service but harder for them to leave. There’s literally a puzzle that you need to solve before cancelling.

5.      Hidden Renewal Fees

Last but not least, there’s another scam in the hosting world that’s called “hidden renewal fees”. First, they’ll lure you by offering very low introductory prices. Later, when you need to renew the package, the hefty amount will catch you off guard. They make this deception work by:

·         Offering lower introductory prices

·         Using fine print to bury details

·         Bundling "free" add-ons

·         Enabling automatic renewals

·         Using deceptive marketing tactics

You can say that all of these are “bait-and-switch” approaches that work for them, not for users. The only way to avoid all these scams is to validate the authenticity of your intended vendor. You can choose a reliable provider for Dubai hosting to ensure a seamless and transparent experience.

Don’t Fall Prey to Hosting Traps

You might not know, but there are many scammers disguised as reliable hosting providers. They use a number of scams, including “free domain traps”, “fake uptime guarantee”, “fake data centers”, and “unclear cancellation terms”. Get in touch with a trustworthy hosting company now to make sure you don’t fall prey to hosting traps.