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Business & invoices

Trademark and patent service scams

Application records fuel fake authority or agent messages about invented deadlines, renewal fees or low-cost filing services.

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If you have one minute

Pause, then verify independently.

An urgent deadline absent from official records

Before paying

Check application status on the authority’s website

See verification steps →

If you paid or shared details

Pause payment and consult the authority

See response steps →

Start with these three signs

  • An urgent deadline absent from official records
  • Private or unfamiliar payment accounts
  • Requests the filing account password

How the situation unfolds

  1. Contact

    Emails, calls or mailed bills after an application.

  2. The lure

    Your application will lapse unless you pay immediately.

  3. The demand and outcome

    Correct filing numbers lend credibility to official-looking notices that redirect payment to private accounts or unnecessary services.

Verify these things before paying

  1. Check application status on the authority’s website
  2. Verify agent or lawyer credentials independently
  3. Confirm fees and actual services before contracting

Already engaged or paid?

  1. Pause payment and consult the authority
  2. Protect disclosed identity and account data
  3. Keep notices; report to the authority or police

Contact your payment provider and local police promptly. The responsible institution must confirm whether a payment can be stopped, disputed or returned.

Keep these records

Billing notices and email headers
Filing number and real status
Agent identity and agreement
Payments and recipient details

Keep originals and organise working copies. Never give strangers verification codes, banking passwords, private keys or seed phrases.

Original references

  • United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO)Publisher location：United States · EnglishOpen the original reference ↗https://www.uspto.gov/trademarks/protect/recognizing-common-scams
  • United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO)Publisher location：United States · EnglishOpen the original reference ↗https://www.uspto.gov/trademarks/protect/how-avoid-scams-trademark-services
  • United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO)Publisher location：United States · EnglishOpen the original reference ↗https://www.uspto.gov/patents/basics/using-legal-services/scam-prevention

This page summarises public prevention guidance to help recognise methods. It is not an enforcement conclusion about a particular incident. Check the source page for its original title. Procedures and reporting routes vary by jurisdiction. Compiled October 2026.

Related situations

Business email compromise

A fake executive, colleague or partner uses a spoofed or compromised mailbox to request urgent payments or confidential data.

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Payment redirection scams

A fake supplier changes bank details near a real payment deadline. The project and invoice are real; the recipient is not.

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Fake purchase orders

An impersonated company or school sends a large order with forged paperwork, requesting credit terms and fast delivery.

Read the warning signs and checks