Europol and
EUIPO have recently released a
new procedure manual to combat misleading payment requests and protect IPRs applicants and owners.
The publication provides an overview of
key issues when facing misleading invoices, the
profiles of scammers, advice on
how to identify misleading communications and
how applicants and IP offices can protect themselves.
According to Europol’s analysis,
2% of IPR applicants and owners are victims of such scams. This happens particularly during the multi-phased process of registering IP, which can create uncertainty for the applicant, or when it comes to the renewal stage.
The manual is useful for IPR applicants and owners, European Law Enforcement Agencies, national, regional and international IP offices.
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ECTA takes an active role in the fight against this type of fraud. To learn more about ECTA Anti-Scam Activities and also to report any such activity to ECTA, please visit our ECTA Anti-Scam Activities page.