Domain squatting — also called cybersquatting — is when someone registers a domain name to profit from your brand. They aim to make money, traffic, or trick your customers.
Usually, the squatter has zero legitimate interest in the domain. Their whole plan is one of the following:
The damage lies in recovery. Recovering a domain can be slow, expensive, and sometimes impossible. Preventing it is massively easier.
Most cases include:
Here’s the typical sequence:
They might:
Domains are cheap (often under £10), so squatters do this at scale. They don’t need one success — they need one business owner who panics.
This is the one that catches the most people.
They register common misspellings:
People type fast. They land on the wrong site. And that’s where problems begin.
Typosquatting is heavily used for:
This is your classic phishing attack, but instead of it being through an email, it’s an unfortunate typo.
Defensive Domain Registration
The single most effective step.
Register:
Then redirect them to your main website.
A £8 domain can prevent a £5,000 legal headache.
Domain Monitoring
Actively watch for domains similar to your business name. Early detection is key — most malicious domains are used within weeks of registration. If you catch it early, you can often stop scams before customers are affected.
Domain squatting isn’t rare, and it’s not just something that happens to big brands.
We hope you’ve liked this blog. Stay tuned for more blogs like this. Stay safe!
