PCT Newsletter

April 2026 | No. 04/2026

Warning: fraudulent emails impersonating WIPO and major IP Offices

WIPO is warning all IP holders including PCT users to watch out for a sophisticated email scam targeting patent and trademark applicants worldwide.
Certain unscrupulous persons are actively sending emails using fake addresses – including admin@wipo-office.com – to impersonate 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 patent or trademark-related services, falsely presenting themselves as official correspondence. 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.

WIPO does not demand payments through unsolicited emails or request sensitive financial information via unofficial channels, and neither do the EPO or EUIPO.

While the PCT System has successfully implemented many measures to tackle the long-standing challenge of fraud, analysts are concerned that more sophisticated and ambitious scams pose a growing threat to IP services generally – as a recent article in World Trademark Review explains.

To protect yourself and your business:
  • Check the sender’s email address. WIPO 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 WIPO.

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