We see this type of scam from time to time, and the method is always the same: The target company holds the domain name mycompanyname.no. The seller claims that they hold the same or very similar domain name under other top-level domains, e.g. mycompanyname.co or mycompanyname.shop. They insist that the target company needs these domain names to avoid search engines mismatch and that others take advantage of their brand, and that they must decide on this promptly because the seller has other customers who are interested in the same domain names.
The vast majority of Norwegian companies choose the Norwegian top-level domain for their main domain name. Some Norwegian companies may benefit from having domain names under other top-level domains than the Norwegian, but this is an issue they must consider inhouse and take into account which markets they will hit with different top-level domains. The registrar can be a useful partner for this kind of discussion.
In addition to market considerations, an important aspect is to take a look at the «neighborhood» that the company will be a part of online, which means to have a look at which other domain names are registered under the top-level domain in question, and what they are used for. It is much more attractive for new customers if a big share of the domain names is used for customers’ homepage, than if many of the domain names only point to other top-level domains, or worst case are registered for spamming, scamming or for spreading viruses and malware.
Useful reading
Online presence – where and how? Guide on good and less good neighborhoods on the Internet.