Irish patent applicants stung by €1.5k bogus invoice scam

SCAMMERS purporting to be working for the Irish Patents Office are targeting patent applicants with bogus invoices — often for sums of over €1,000.

With around 10 such cases reported already this year, the office has issued a public alert and published guidance on how to avoid being “preyed on” by unscrupulous operators.

A spokesperson for the office said: “It has come to the attention of the Patents Office that applicants and proprietors are receiving requests for payment of fees from unofficial sources. Such entities claim that your patent or trade mark has been accepted for registration and that payment of a sizeable fee is now due.”

Requests usually take the form of an official-looking invoice or letter, which is sent out after publication of the application and can, therefore, contain details of a genuine application. The scammers usually prey on new inventors who are unfamiliar with the process of patenting and protection of intellectual property.

The statutory fee for registration of a trade mark in Ireland, with one class, is €177 — but the office has seen attempts to charge people €1,500.

“Should you be approached with such an offer of registration or a request for payment of a fee, please verify the authenticity of the request before acting. You can contact the Patents Office, who will be happy to advise on the bona fides or otherwise of any requests,” said a spokesperson.

Bogus invoices are often “directed to the accounts or finance department who may be unaware that the payment request is for spurious or unsolicited services. In this way the unwary can easily lose significant sums,” the spokesperson added.