The Intellectual Property Office (IPO) has issued a warning for businesses to beware of unsolicited payment requests.

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.

Examples of misleading invoices have been released by the IPO and it has also published a list of names that are currently known to be used by these organisations.

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