Europol and EUIPO have published the Procedure manual on handling misleading payment requests for intellectual property system users: Act smart against scammers!

According to EUIPO, the new manual contains an overview of the key issues that arise when facing a misleading invoice or other payment request; profiles of the fraudsters behind the scams; tips on how to identify misleading communications; and information on how applicants and IP office can protect themselves.

Europol estimates that 2% of IPR applicants and owners, or 8,000 entities, may be targeted by these schemes.

The threat goes beyond misleading invoices and can include scam emails during prosecution and renewal periods.

As most readers will be aware, EUIPO never sends invoices or payment requests by post or email concerning the registration or renewal of IP rights. 

MARQUES has a dedicated Anti-Fraud Task Force that monitors scam invoices and similar communications, working closely with IP offices. For more information on this topic, or to share any suspicious messages received confidentially, please contact a member of the Task Force.