[user104658]

To be fair, you're not at any point actual risk, all credit cards are protected against fraudulent activity so it would be your credit card provider taking the hit.

But it does sound like a scam. Quite a clever one, really. Give out cheap domain names, let people build a business around them, and then hold their business to ransom once the domain expires...

Which is why you should only ever go with reputable sellers in the first place . Cheaper isn't always better.

But then...

I have always found "namecheap" to be one of the best priced and also on the level.