.DK Introduces Stronger Identity Checks And Sees 3,000 Scam Sites Closed

The Danish ccTLD manager, Dansk Internet Forum (DIFO), has reduced the number of online shops engaged in suspicious scams using .dk domain names, such as those selling counterfeit goods, by 3,000 since November 2017 leaving around 50 remaining.

The reduction in the number of suspected scam shops has come about largely due to identity checks introduced in 2017 for both Danish and foreign .dk registrants.

In March 2018, a study conducted on behalf of DIFO showed that the more detailed identity checks had reduced the number of suspected scam web shops to 475. Subsequently, DIFO has further targeted the identity of foreign registrants, which has resulted in only about 50 suspected scam web shops remaining in .dk zone.

One of DIFO’s tasks is to make sure that the Danish part of the Internet is as secure as possible and that there is trust in .dk domain names and websites. One of the ways they have done this is through e-mark, a non-profit organisation representing more than 2,200 Danish companies working with e-commerce. The e-mark certifies good web-shops and gives the consumer confidence they are dealing with a trusted online store.

“We are very pleased with the excellent result DIFO has achieved by reducing the number of scam web shops that end with .dk. One scam shop is one too many, but at the current level, the .dk zone can be considered to be one of the safest zones in the world,” says CEO of the e-mark Jesper Arp-Hansen.

The increased identity checks mean Danish registrants must now be validated with NemID, while all foreign customers are assessed based on a risk assessment. DIFO has thus been able to delete domain names where the registrant has not been able to or would not reveal their identity.