The following is an edited transcript of my video Trademark Telephone Scams.
When you file at the USPTO, all of the application information becomes part of the public record, including phone numbers and email addresses. The USPTO asks for your phone number during the application and at signature, however it’s not a requirement. I strongly encourage that applicants do not include their phone number in any of those forms, and here’s why.
Scammers are calling, pretending to be from the USPTO. They’re sophisticated. They’re actually spoofing USPTO telephone numbers from Northern Virginia that start with 571 or 703 for Northern Virginia. They are claiming that in order for your application to get approved or take the next steps, you need to pay some sort of fee and they can take that fee right over the phone. The USPTO never takes fees over the phone. It’s not possible.
Be aware of any phone call from the USPTO. If you have an attorney, nobody but your attorney should be contacting you about the application. An examiner cannot contact the applicant if they’re represented by counsel—they contact the counsel.
If you think you might have been scammed, call back the number and see who answers If it’s the USPTO. If you did get scammed, report it to law enforcement, report it to the USPTO. Let’s try to help stop and crack down on these scammers.
