Intellectual property holders should exercise extreme caution following reports of a sophisticated email scam targeting trademark and patent applicants worldwide.
Scammers are actively sending emails using fake addresses — including admin@wipo-office.com — to impersonate the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) and other prominent intellectual property offices, including the European Patent Office (EPO) and the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO).
These emails typically demand payments for trademark or patent-related services, falsely presenting themselves as official correspondence from these authoritative bodies. Recipients may be led to believe that failure to pay could jeopardize the status of their intellectual property rights — a tactic designed to create urgency and pressure victims into transferring funds.
It is important to note that none of these organizations — WIPO, EPO or EUIPO — will solicit payments through unsolicited emails or request sensitive financial information via unofficial channels.
Please find an example of one of these emails.
Stay Vigilant — Protect Yourself and Your Business
- Check the sender’s email address. Our email addresses always end with @wipo.int – however, email addresses can be “spoofed” so hover your cursor over the visible email address to make sure that the address remains the same.
- Do not click on any links or attachments in suspicious emails.
- Never make payments based solely on an unsolicited email request.
- Contact the relevant IP Office directly through their official website if you receive a suspicious communication.
- Report suspicious emails to your national cybersecurity authority and the impersonated organization.
If you believe you have been targeted, please contact us.