Internet users, including several businesses in the Yorkshire Dales, who have registered a .uk domain name (web address) are being warned not to be confused by what appears to be a registration renewel invoice. The alleged scam demands £225 with non-payment resulting in your web address being 'disconnected online'.

The wording on the invoice is confusing with many people believing that unless they pay up they will lose their domain names.

The charge is actually for inclusion in a web directory run by London-based Central Web Pages Register Ltd.

Lesley Cowley, MD of Nominet UK (the Registry for all domains ending .uk) said: "Those contacted should treat the demand with the same caution as they would any other unsolicited invoice and, if unsure, contact their ISP for clarification."

Most domain names ending .uk need to be renewed every two years. In the first instance, Nominet UK sends the renewel invoice to the Internet Service Provider (ISP) that you registered your domain with. The ISP should then contact you for payment. If, for any reason, the ISP does not renew the registration, Nominet tries to contact the Registrant directly to offer them the opportunity to renew the registration.