TradeMark Express warns of fake trademark attorney scams targeting small businesses

TradeMark Express is warning small business owners about a rise in fraudulent texts and emails posing as trademark attorneys and pressuring recipients to pay urgent fees. The company says owners should verify trademark issues directly through the USPTO and ignore unsolicited demands for payment.

Why it matters: - Small businesses and entrepreneurs are being targeted with scams that can trigger unnecessary payments, unauthorized charges, or bad filings. - The messages exploit trademark fears, including the risk of losing a name or logo, to rush owners into acting without verification. - The risk is especially high for businesses that rely on outside help for trademark searches and filing support.

What happened: - TradeMark Express warned that fraudulent texts and emails are impersonating trademark attorneys and targeting business owners. - The company said the scam often claims a third party is about to file for rights to a business name or logo. - The message then pushes the recipient to pay the same day to avoid losing branding rights. - TradeMark Express said the scheme often asks for a small initial filing fee and then larger federal filing fees that can total several hundred dollars. - Chris DeMassa, founder of TradeMark Express, said the scam uses fear and urgency to bypass judgment and that real trademark issues do not require same-day payment over text message.

The details: - TradeMark Express outlined a common pattern: an unsolicited text or email, a claim of immediate trademark danger, a request for payment, and then either no filing, an improper filing, or unauthorized card charges. - The company said legitimate trademark attorneys and the USPTO do not typically initiate contact about an existing registration by text. - TradeMark Express advised owners to be cautious when the services or trademark classes mentioned do not match the business’s actual offerings. - The company also flagged unusually low pricing for broad trademark research, including claims of “worldwide” searches, as a warning sign. - Other red flags include missing suite numbers in office addresses, recently registered domains, multiple similar company names, and inconsistent contact details across messages. - Stock or recycled team photos can also indicate a fake operation, and a reverse-image search may expose the original source. - TradeMark Express said a legitimate law firm should be verifiable through state bar records or known industry directories. - Consumer fraud-tracking site The Daily Scam reviewed a similar operation and said the firm appeared to be “a fraud.” - The Daily Scam pointed to office addresses without suite numbers, a team photo tied to an unrelated 2024 news interview, recently registered domains using privacy proxies, poor reviews, and no verification through bar or media archives.

Between the lines: - The warning reflects a broader scam pattern that uses legal intimidation rather than technical sophistication. - The strongest defense is independent verification, not responding to the sender’s claims or links. - The emphasis on bar records, USPTO tools, and domain checks shows that many of these scams leave public traces that can be tested quickly.

What’s next: - TradeMark Express is telling recipients of suspicious messages to avoid clicking links or calling back numbers in the message. - The company recommends checking trademark status directly in the USPTO’s TSDR system using the business’s own records. - TradeMark Express says owners should consult a trademark professional or licensed attorney through a known referral source before paying anything. - Suspicious messages should be reported to the USPTO, the Federal Trade Commission, and consumer-protection resources such as the Better Business Bureau’s Scam Tracker. - More information is available through the company’s social media channels, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, X account, and Calendly booking page.

The bottom line: - Business owners should treat urgent trademark fee demands by text or email as suspicious until independently verified.