When registering a domain name the plural was taken in seconds

[master w bates III]

I used gandi to register a domain name for a new business I am starting. First I ran several whois queries through the terminal, saw they were all available. I register the first. Done. I get up to take a leak and when I get back to it (30 seconds to a minute later) the plurals and variations are all registered by some caymen islands company until 2013. I'm really upset.

How do people get this information so fast?

How would I access this information that they appear to have access to?

what can I do to prevent this from happening again in the future?

[StoutFiles]

I've never heard of gandi. However, some companies have been known to buy up the other extensions once you order. Some companies have been known to buy the name just upon making a query.

Best thing to is use a trusted registrar to query and buy names with.

[Mr Bo Jangles]

Best thing to is use a trusted registrar to query and buy names with.

But that's the whole problem isn't it.
What one day seems to be a 'trusted' or trustable entity, we read some bad report about the next day. Who really knows what these entities are doing...

[TinkyWinky]

Does the old "dip your toe" routine still work with TLD's?

ie. there's 5 - 7 days to confirm and pay for the domain otherwise it goes back into available status

If so then leave for a week and then check.. you may well find it is not regged like I did a couple of years ago in exactly the same boat.

Good luck - bl00dy scammers...

[Disco Legend Zeke]

on some domain name websites, you can select several variations, then register them all at once.

i have never heard of this registrar, but as soon as you create a DNS link, i guess it becomes available. Assuming it was not an "inside job" at the hosting company, an automated system could immediately grab the others.

i guess you could call this crime SCRAPE AND SQUAT

[StoutFiles]

Many registrars so this, but they usually only hold the domain for 5-7 days. In theory they do this so you have to pick up all your variations at the same registrar, but in your case it sounds like they don't want you to have the extensions at all.

[Leosghost]

gandi = largest french registrar ..

you surprised me ..IME they ( gandi) are normaly ultra ethical ..you can write to them in english ( they are fluent ) and ask WTH happened ..

Golden rule ..always reg all the domains you want when you want them ..take the "leak break" before you sit down in front of the screen ..and have your credit card charged and ready for as much as you might decide eventually to spend ..

[LifeinAsia]

They may be ethical now, but a few years back, a large percentage of SPAM e-mails we were getting were for sites registered through them.

[Leosghost]

They changed ownership about two years ago ..the new guys are very "open source" if you know what I mean ..:) lot of stuff in their blog about the change in direction and ethic at the time ..

Even so ..as with all registrars things can change for better or worse ..like all things ..I dont even trust myself sometimes ;) ..

I dont host with them ..goleden rule never host with your registrar for that name ..

My .fr domains are now registered with them ..I've not had any problems with them such as that described by the OP ..

But as always ..YMMV :)