It’s pretty hard to trick someone who already is familiar with their domain registrar.

Remember knowledge is key....

Utilize whois.com

If you are dealing with a reputable registrar, your notifications should come from the mail or email.

If you receive a notification by fax, this is a red flag to pay attention to.

Reputable companies use the post office or the Internet to communicate with you.

Don't let others tell you what it is....know it already and you won't get tricked by others.

Keep in the back of your head when your expiration date is.

Sometimes, renewal notices will come too early, no matter what company you are dealing with (sometimes as early as 6 months ahead of time)

Keep on top of things…when you check your domain name in a lookup search engine, you will also find some pretty interesting info along the way as well (like your personal info, including address and phone number).

On a personal note, I was shocked to see the information that was for the public to see. Here I have an unlisted phone number and it can be easily found by looking up the details of my website.