In early May, WIPO renewed its warning to users of the PCT and Madrid systems after a wave of fraudulent emails sought payment of unofficial fees. The messages often imitate official wording, use misleading sender details, and claim that the recipient’s protection status has been compromised. Some appear to invoke the names of WIPO, the EPO, the EUIPO or national offices in the Americas, creating the impression that an urgent payment is needed to preserve an application, registration or renewal.
The practical risk is straightforward: these emails target the moments when applicants are already managing deadlines, translations, renewals and official fee payments. A payment request that arrives outside the normal channel should be checked against the official case record, verified payment routes and known office communications before any action is taken. For companies using international IP systems, payment verification is no longer a minor accounting step; it is part of basic portfolio risk control.
