The IPO have issued a fresh warning to customers to beware of misleading requests for payments, sent by organisations who are not the IPO. These typically take the form of invoices requesting payment for trade marks, designs, or patents services.
Once paid for, these services may simply never be provided, or may be of little or no benefit to the customer (for example, inclusion on an ‘exclusive online register’ not recognised by the IPO or any other official body).
Alternatively, invoices may request payment at a highly inflated price for services available for a much lower fee – or free of charge – directly from the IPO.
The payment request will usually come from an organisation not recognised by the customer. They may also be accompanied by a copy of a fraudulently ‘signed’ agreement, in the hope that accounts departments will automatically approve payment of the invoice.
These organisations are not connected with the IPO or any other government body.
