Takedown Guide: Aceville Pte. Ltd. / DNSPod (IANA #3858)

Last Updated: November 2025
Registrar: Aceville Pte. Ltd. (doing business as DNSPod)
IANA ID: 3858
Parent Company: Tencent Holdings Ltd. (China)
Effectiveness: ⚠️ MODERATE (Currently under ICANN breach notice for poor abuse handling)

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⚠️ Critical Alert

As of September 2024, Aceville/DNSPod is under an ICANN breach notice for:

• Failing to promptly investigate and act on DNS abuse reports
• Making abuse reporting unnecessarily difficult
• Not implementing required RDAP protocol
• Poor data escrow compliance

This may affect response times and effectiveness of takedown requests.

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Company Overview

Corporate Structure

• Legal Entity: Aceville Pte. Ltd. (Singapore)
• DBA: DNSPod
• Parent Company: Tencent Holdings Ltd. (Chinese tech conglomerate, $86B annual revenue)
• Other Tencent Registrars:
  • DNSPod, Inc. (IANA #1697)
  • Guangzhou Yunxun Information Technology Co., Ltd.
  • Tencent Cloud Computing (Beijing) Limited Liability Company

Business Model

• Primarily a DNS resolution service (20+ million domains)
• Domain registrar services (200,000 gTLD domains)
• Part of Tencent Cloud ecosystem
• Does not operate as traditional retail registrar

Key Information

• Accredited: 2020 (relatively new ICANN registrar)
• Headquarters: Singapore (shares with Tencent)
• Primary Market: China and Asia-Pacific
• Website: https://www.dnspod.com

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Contact Information

Primary Abuse Contact

• Email: abuse@dnspod.com
• Phone: +86 10 62671188 x803707
• Alternative Phone: +86.4009100100

Secondary Contact

• Domain Issues: domain@dnspod.com
• Web Platform: https://www.tencentcloud.com/report-platform (RECOMMENDED)

ICANN Escalation

• ICANN Complaint Form: https://www.icann.org/compliance/complaint
• Reference: Registrar IANA ID 3858

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Takedown Process

Step 1: Verify Registrar

Before proceeding, confirm DNSPod is the registrar:

1. Check WHOIS at https://who.is or whois.com
2. Look for "Registrar: Aceville Pte. Ltd." or "Registrar: DNSPod"
3. Verify IANA ID: 3858
4. Note the abuse contact email (should be abuse@dnspod.com)

Step 2: Gather Evidence

Collect comprehensive documentation:

• Screenshot of fraudulent website (full page)
• WHOIS record showing DNSPod as registrar
• Evidence of trademark/brand impersonation
• Documentation of harm (customer complaints, financial losses)
• Date/time stamps for all evidence

Step 3: Primary Submission Method (RECOMMENDED)

Use Tencent Cloud Report Platform:

1. Go to https://www.tencentcloud.com/report-platform
2. Create account if required (ICANN has criticized this requirement)
3. Submit complete report with:
   • Domain name (exact match from WHOIS)
   • Type of abuse (phishing/fraud/trademark)
   • Detailed description in English and Chinese if possible
   • All evidence files attached
   • Your contact information

Expected Response: Receipt within 1 business day

Step 4: Email Backup Method

If platform is unavailable or unresponsive, send to abuse@dnspod.com:

Subject Line:

URGENT: Abuse Report - [DOMAIN NAME] - Fraud/Phishing - Case #[YOUR-CASE-NUMBER]

Email Template:

To: DNSPod Abuse Team

RE: Domain Abuse Report for [FRAUDULENT-DOMAIN.COM]

Dear DNSPod Abuse Team,

I am reporting a fraudulent website using your registration services that is actively scamming customers by impersonating our legitimate business.

FRAUDULENT DOMAIN DETAILS:
- Domain: [FRAUDULENT-DOMAIN.COM]
- Registrar: Aceville Pte. Ltd. / DNSPod (IANA #3858)
- Registration Date: [FROM WHOIS]
- Abuse Type: [Phishing/Fraud/Trademark Infringement]

LEGITIMATE BUSINESS:
- Company: [YOUR COMPANY NAME]
- Legitimate Domain: [YOUR-DOMAIN.COM]
- Trademark/Registration: [IF APPLICABLE]

EVIDENCE OF FRAUD:
1. The fraudulent site copies our branding and content [ATTACHED: Screenshots]
2. Customers have reported being scammed [ATTACHED: Complaints]
3. The site is actively taking payments fraudulently [ATTACHED: Evidence]

REQUESTED ACTION:
We respectfully request immediate suspension of the fraudulent domain in accordance with:
- Your Acceptable Use Policy
- ICANN Registry Agreement Section 3.18 (DNS Abuse)
- Applicable laws regarding fraud and trademark infringement

We are prepared to provide additional documentation and cooperate fully with your investigation.

Please confirm receipt and provide a case number for tracking.

Sincerely,
[Your Name]
[Your Title]
[Your Company]
[Contact Information]

Attachments:
1. WHOIS_Record.pdf
2. Screenshot_Evidence.pdf
3. Customer_Complaints.pdf
4. Trademark_Documentation.pdf [if applicable]

Step 5: Phone Follow-Up

If no response within 48 hours:

1. Call +86 10 62671188 x803707
2. Ask for English-speaking abuse department
3. Reference your email/platform submission
4. Request case number and timeline

Step 6: ICANN Escalation

If no action within 5 business days:

1. File ICANN Complaint:

   • Go to https://www.icann.org/compliance/complaint
   • Select "Registrar" complaint type
   • Reference IANA ID 3858
   • Include all previous correspondence
   • Note lack of response/action

2. Reference Existing Breach:

   • Mention September 2024 breach notice
   • Note pattern of non-compliance
   • Request immediate ICANN intervention

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Special Considerations

Language Barriers

• DNSPod primarily serves Chinese market
• Consider having documentation translated to Simplified Chinese
• Use Google Translate for initial communications if needed
• Request English-speaking representative for phone calls

Time Zone

• Singapore/Beijing time (UTC+8)
• Business hours: 9:00 AM - 6:00 PM SGT/CST
• Allow for holiday schedules (Chinese New Year, National holidays)

Cultural Considerations

• Be formal and respectful in communications
• Provide clear, structured documentation
• Avoid aggressive or threatening language
• Reference legal/compliance requirements

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Effectiveness Assessment

Strengths

• Part of large corporation (Tencent) with reputation concerns
• Multiple contact methods available
• Web platform provides tracking

Weaknesses

• Currently under ICANN breach notice for poor abuse handling
• History of delayed or no response to abuse reports
• Requires account creation for web platform
• Possible language barriers
• May prioritize Chinese customers/complaints

Success Factors

• Use web platform for better tracking
• Include Chinese translation if possible
• Escalate to ICANN quickly if no response
• Consider concurrent report to hosting provider (check for Cloudflare)
• Document all interactions for ICANN complaint

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Alternative Actions

If DNSPod is Unresponsive:

1. Report to Cloudflare (if using Cloudflare nameservers as shown in example)

   • https://www.cloudflare.com/abuse/
   • Often more responsive than registrar

2. Report to Hosting Provider

   • Use tools to identify actual hosting company
   • May be more effective than registrar

3. Legal Notice to Tencent

   • Tencent Legal Department
   • May escalate internally

4. Public Pressure

   • Social media campaign
   • Industry forums
   • Domain industry news sites

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Success Metrics

Best Case (1-2 days):

• Immediate acknowledgment
• Domain suspended within 48 hours
• Case number provided

Typical Case (3-7 days):

• Acknowledgment after follow-up
• Investigation period
• Action after ICANN threat

Worst Case (7+ days):

• No response to initial report
• Requires ICANN escalation
• May need alternative approaches

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Documentation Requirements

Always maintain:

• Copy of all communications
• Screenshots with timestamps
• WHOIS records (before and after)
• Case numbers from all platforms
• Phone call logs with names/times
• ICANN complaint reference numbers

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Related Entities

Be aware that fraudulent domains may also use:

• DNSPod, Inc. (IANA #1697) - Same abuse process
• Other Tencent Cloud services - Use same platform
• Tencent Cloud DNS - May need separate report

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Notes for ScamSnitch Implementation

Automation Considerations

// DNSPod detection patterns
const isDNSPod = (whois) => {
  return whois.includes('Aceville Pte. Ltd.') ||
         whois.includes('DNSPod') ||
         whois.includes('IANA ID: 3858') ||
         whois.includes('abuse@dnspod.com');
};

// Special handling needed
const requiresSpecialHandling = true; // Due to ICANN breach
const preferredMethod = 'WEB_PLATFORM'; // Not email
const escalationTimeframe = 48; // hours before ICANN escalation
const requiresTranslation = true; // Consider Chinese translation

Monitoring

• Track success rate specifically for DNSPod
• Document response times
• Note if ICANN escalation was required
• Share data with ICANN compliance if pattern emerges

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Last Successful Takedown

To be updated with actual case data

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Updates and Amendments

• 2024-09: ICANN breach notice issued for abuse handling failures
• 2024-11: Guide created based on research and ICANN documentation

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This guide is based on publicly available information and may need updates as DNSPod addresses ICANN compliance issues. Always verify current contact information and procedures before submitting abuse reports.