Collect any evidence you can, such as copies of solicitations, emails, receipts, and screenshots of transactions. Official communications in Trademark Status & Document Retrieval (TSDR) could be useful. Also, you can use the Trademark Decisions and Proceedings search tool to see if your application or registration has been impacted by an attorney or entity that has received an administrative order.
Use the following checklist to take action against your scammer:
- Report suspicious activity to TMScams@uspto.gov. If you received a suspicious email, include the original email as an attachment to your message. It contains helpful data about where the email came from.
- Contact your financial institutions, such as your bank or credit card company, to determine if you can dispute the charges.
- Consult with a private U.S.-licensed attorney knowledgeable about trademark law to evaluate your application or registration.
- File a consumer complaint with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) immediately.
- If you receive a spoofed phone call, file a complaint with the Federal Communications Commission.
- Contact your state consumer protection authorities and your state’s Attorney General. Most states have the authority to investigate companies involved in deceptive solicitations.
- File a consumer complaint with the Better Business Bureau and access their Scam Survival Toolkit to create a personalized recovery plan; monitor your credit on a regular basis.
- File a complaint about cybercrime with the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s (FBI) Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3).
- If you received any scam-related documents by mail, file a report with the United States Postal Inspection Service.
- If you received advice or representation from a person who is not an attorney, report the unauthorized practice of law to your state bar association.
- If you believe an attorney may have been involved in a scam, please email the Office of Enrollment and Discipline at OED@uspto.gov.
- If you were directed to engage with a suspicious entity via a sponsored advertisement, report the ad to the company or search engine that ran it. For example, report advertisements suspected of being scams or that otherwise violated advertising policies to Google and Microsoft Bing.
Learn what steps to take if your application is suspended pending an administrative review of suspected improper trademark submissions or conduct.