Find Out Who Registered a Domain

Finding out who registered a domain name can be simple or almost impossible. It all depends on whether the person who registered it signed up for private domain name registration or not. The law says you can't register a domain name using a fake address or phone number, but many people don’t want their personal information available to the public or competitors. To solve the problem, many domain registrars often offer a special service, for a fee, that protects a person's private information. By using this service, the registrar company lists its contact information for the domain. If a domain name has this kind of private registration, it will be much harder to find out who registered a domain.

Steps

Find Information for People Who Use Their Personal Information

  1. Visit the Whois search section of the InterNIC website. There are many sites with similar names and services, but they don’t offer the same service as Whois, so you want to make sure you have the correct website.
  2. Locate the section that allows you to search for domain information.
  3. Type in the domain name you want information about. Make sure you select the “Domain” radio button. Click on “Submit.”
  4. Read the results. Either it will tell you who registered the domain, or it may list the registrar's name instead.

Try to Find Out Who Registered a Domain from a Registrar

  1. Visit the registrar's website. Most online search engines for domain information will include this information. In the “Whois Server,” you should see it in the results you obtained in Step 3 above.
  2. Type the domain name in the database search box. Look to make sure you have arrived at the correct registrar's information, which may require you to click on a link. In some cases, the database may take you to correct page, but it depends on the format of the website. Make sure you choose the correct extension. Most should be under .com, .org or .edu.
  3. Enter the CAPTCHA code, if the website prompts for one. This is usually a series of numbers or letters designed to make sure you’re a real person.
  4. Read the results. You will either be presented with the name of the person who registered the domain or the name of a company that provides private domain registration. Look at the email address listed. If the first part (before the @ sign) is a series of letters and numbers in seemingly random order, or if the domain name of the email address is something along the lines of "domaindiscreet.com," then it’s probably a private domain.
  5. Contact the registrar, if you’re still interested in getting the name and contact information of the person who registered the domain name. You may be able to apply for a bulk access agreement and pay a fee to get the real names of those registering domains with that registrar. If you are working on behalf of the police or district attorney's office and have a legal right to the information, you may also be able to get a court order to obtain it.

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