You filed your trademark application, and a few weeks later, an official-looking letter arrives that appears to come from the USPTO, saying you owe another fee. Maybe it warns that your application will be canceled unless you pay immediately. It’s enough to make anyone nervous, especially if this is your first trademark. A trademark lawyer can help you understand which notices deserve your attention and which ones you should question.
Before you reach for your credit card, know that fake USPTO invoices and other trademark scams are a real concern for business owners. These scams imitate the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), but they don’t come from it.
The good news is that you don’t need to be a legal expert to recognize many of them. Once you know what to look for and where to verify a notice, you’ll feel much more confident handling unexpected trademark correspondence.
Why are you getting trademark scam letters?
When you apply for a trademark, certain information becomes part of the public record maintained by the USPTO. That information can include your business name, mailing address, trademark, and application details, and scammers can find these records and use them to create messages that seem surprisingly personal.
For example, a fake invoice might include your actual trademark name and application number. Those details can make the notice look legitimate, even when the sender has no connection to the USPTO.
Receiving one doesn’t mean you’ve done anything wrong. It simply means someone may be using publicly available information to contact you, and it helps to know the most common forms these messages take.
The six scams trademark owners see most often
Trademark scams don’t all look alike. Some arrive in the mail, while others appear as emails, phone calls, or websites offering filing services.
1. Fake USPTO invoices
These notices claim you owe money for trademark registration, publication, monitoring, or other services. Some services may be optional, while others may not be necessary at all, and the problem is when a private business makes its invoice look like an official government bill.
Check who the sender actually is. A real USPTO document is posted to your trademark record, so if the notice doesn’t show up there, treat it with caution. A private company asking for money for an optional service can look very official, and that’s often the point.
2. Notices threatening to cancel your trademark
You might receive a letter warning that your trademark will be canceled or your application abandoned unless you pay within 24 hours. Real trademark deadlines exist, but scammers often invent urgent payment requirements to pressure you into acting without checking.
Real deadlines come with real paperwork in your official record, not a demand for payment to a third party. If a notice gives you hours or a day to pay, take that as a reason to slow down and check your record first.
3. Websites pretending to be the USPTO
Some websites use government-style logos, similar names, or confusing advertisements to make visitors believe they’re dealing directly with the USPTO. They may charge inflated fees, offer unnecessary services, or collect sensitive information, so always check the website address before entering payment details.
Official USPTO pages live at uspto.gov, so look closely at the address before you type in any information. Search results and ads can place look-alike sites near the top, so it’s safer to go to the USPTO directly instead of clicking through.
4. International trademark invoices
If you’ve applied for trademark protection outside the United States, you may receive invoices that appear connected to international trademark organizations. These notices sometimes offer publication in private directories or request payment for services that aren’t required, and the USPTO also warns applicants about misleading international solicitations.
If an invoice arrives from a directory or registry you’ve never heard of, don’t assume it’s required. Ask the lawyer who filed for you, or if you filed yourself, check the official office’s website independently.
5. Domain name offers
A message might claim someone is trying to register a website address containing your brand name. Not every domain name offer is fraudulent, but unexpected demands for immediate payment deserve careful review, and you shouldn’t assume you must purchase a domain simply because someone contacts you about it.
Domain names and trademarks are separate things, so buying a domain doesn’t register or protect your trademark. If a domain really matters to your business, you can look it up and buy it through a registrar you trust.
6. Emails and calls impersonating USPTO employees
Some scammers pretend to be trademark examining attorneys, the USPTO employees who review trademark applications. They may request personal information, demand payment, or tell you to schedule a verification appointment through an unfamiliar link or phone number, and even a message that appears to come from a government email address deserves verification because email addresses can be faked.
If someone claims to be from the USPTO and asks you to schedule a call or pay over the phone, stop and verify before you respond. Look up the USPTO’s contact information yourself, or check your trademark record, instead of using the details in the message.
How can you tell if a USPTO notice is real?
Before responding to an unexpected trademark letter or email, run through this checklist. No single item proves a notice is real or fake, but together they give you a much clearer picture.
- Check the sender’s email address. Official USPTO emails sent directly to you use addresses ending in @uspto.gov. However, scammers can disguise the sender address, so this isn’t enough by itself.
- Look up your trademark record. Visit the official Trademark Status and Document Retrieval system, also called TSDR. Enter your application serial number or registration number and review the Documents tab for official correspondence.
- Check with your attorney. If you have an attorney of record, meaning the attorney officially listed for your trademark matter, ask them to review the notice before responding.
- Review the payment instructions. Legitimate USPTO fees are paid through official government filing and payment systems. Be suspicious of requests to pay by wire transfer, gift card, payment app, or over the phone.
- Watch for pressure tactics. Messages threatening immediate cancellation or demanding payment within hours should make you cautious.
- Compare the fees. Review the USPTO’s official trademark fee schedule, and be especially careful when a notice uses an official-sounding name that includes words like “United States” or “Trademark.”
If something doesn’t match, don’t assume it’s legitimate just because it looks professional. Scammers put real effort into making their notices look convincing.
What if you’ve already paid a fake USPTO invoice?
If you’ve already sent money, don’t panic. What matters now is documenting what happened and checking whether your actual trademark application or registration needs attention.
Save receipts, payment confirmations, emails, and copies of the notice, and contact your bank or credit card company promptly to ask whether the transaction can be disputed. You should also report the incident to the USPTO and consider speaking with a trademark lawyer.
Paying a misleading invoice doesn’t automatically cancel your trademark rights. However, if you believed you had paid an official fee, you may have overlooked a real requirement or deadline, which is why reviewing your actual USPTO record is so important.
Don’t ignore real USPTO deadlines
While it’s smart to question unexpected notices, you shouldn’t ignore every trademark letter. The USPTO sends legitimate communications, including Office Actions, which are official notices explaining a problem with your application or requesting additional information before it can move forward.
For example, you might receive a specimen refusal if the USPTO determines that your submitted proof of trademark use doesn’t meet its requirements, and our guide to trademark specimen refusals explains what that means and what happens next. Registered trademarks also have maintenance deadlines, which are required filings that help keep your federal registration active.
We’ll explain those requirements in our upcoming guide to trademark registration deadlines. The key is knowing the difference between a real USPTO requirement and an unsolicited payment request, and your official trademark record is where you can tell them apart.
What to do now
Trademark scams can look convincing, especially when they contain accurate information about your business. But an official-looking envelope, urgent warning, or familiar logo doesn’t mean you owe money. If an unexpected notice arrives, you don’t need to pay or respond right away, but check your trademark record promptly so you don’t miss a real deadline.
- Don’t send payment or personal information. Wait until you’ve verified who sent the notice and whether the requested action is necessary.
- Don’t call the number in the message. Find contact information independently through the official USPTO website.
- Save the evidence. Keep the letter, envelope, screenshots, and any emails, and save the original email file when possible because it may contain useful sender information.
- Check TSDR. Compare the notice against your official trademark record and any deadlines listed there.
- Report suspicious activity. The USPTO accepts reports at TMScams@uspto.gov, and you can also report suspected fraud to the Federal Trade Commission.
Reporting a suspicious notice doesn’t guarantee an investigation or a particular outcome, but it gives the appropriate agencies information about potentially misleading activity.
Not sure whether a notice is real or a scam has affected your application?
We’ve filed 2,000+ trademark applications with a 99.7% success rate, and while we can’t guarantee any outcome, we’re here to help you make informed decisions about protecting your brand. Book a free consultation if you’ve received a suspicious trademark notice, and we’ll discuss your concerns and help you understand possible next steps.
Sources: USPTO, “What to do if you’ve been scammed,” accessed Nov. 11, 2026; USPTO, “Fraudulent solicitations to trademark owners,” accessed Nov. 11, 2026; Federal Trade Commission, “ReportFraud.ftc.gov,” accessed Nov. 11, 2026.
The choice of a trademark lawyer is an important decision and should not be based solely upon advertisements. Past results do not serve as a guarantee of future results. The information on this website is for general information purposes only. Nothing on this site should be taken as legal advice for any individual case or situation.