The Intellectual Property Office (IPO) has issued a warning for businesses to beware of unsolicited payment requests.
Here’s what you need to know:
There has been a recent upsurge in these bogus requests being reported. The unsolicited request may ask for payment for trademarks, designs or patent services. Following payment, the ‘services’ may not be provided, or may not have any benefit to the payer. Invoices may also request payment for services at a much-inflated price that are available directly from the IPO at a much lower amount, or even free of charge.
The IPO say that the payment request will usually come from an organisation that you do not recognise and may be accompanied with a copy of a fraudulently signed agreement designed to get accounts departments to automatically approve payment.
Some key indicators to look out for regarding potentially deceptive invoices:
-
Unsolicited Requests: Watch out for unexpected payment demands for intellectual property services like trademarks, designs, or patents.
-
No Services Provided: Paying these invoices often leads to no services rendered or services that are useless.
-
Inflated Prices: Some invoices may charge excessively for services that the IPO offers at lower costs or for free.
-
Unknown Sources: The requests typically originate from unfamiliar organizations and may include a fake agreement to trick accounts departments into paying.
-
IPO’s Response: The IPO has exposed examples of these invoices and listed known fraudulent entities.
-
Action to Take: Do not pay these invoices. Report them to the IPO and, if you suspect fraud, contact the police.
If you receive such an invoice, you should not pay it and should report it to the IPO immediately. If you believe you have been a victim of fraud, then you should report this to the police.
For more information and links to example invoices, see: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/ipo-issues-fresh-warning-to-beware-of-misleading-invoices