“Trademark Urban” Scam Targets Business Owners – Fake Trademark Registration
Trademark Urban is the latest scam targeting business owners. The scammers pretend to be Brian Williams (a paralegal officer) and send unsolicited emails that says someone else intends to file an application for your trademark with the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office (USPTO)? Beware! Trademark Urban is a scam.
This article sheds a light on how the Trademark Urban scam works, red flags to watch out for, what to do about this email, and how to avoid trademark scams.
What is Trademark Urban?
Trademark Urban located at trademarkurban.com claims to offer the services – Trademark Registration, Trademark Comprehensive, Copyright Registration and Trademark Monitoring. However, there’s more to what meet the eyes. Behind the well designed website, an ongoing scam looms.
How Does The Trademark Urban Scam Work?
Starts With Unsolicited Emails
The scam starts with an email that claims the recipient needs to register their brand name or trademark. The email is well written and signed by a certain Intellectual Property Attorney to give credibility.
Uses High Pressure Tactics
The scammers create a false sense of urgency by using high pressure tactics. Recipients are told that their brand name or trademark is not registered with the USPTO. They claim someone intends to file an application for the trademark.
Requests For Unnecessary Fees
After creating this false sense of urgency, Trademark Urban asks for huge amount of money from recipients. This money are often for unnecessary and nonsensical processes like ‘Trademark monitoring’.
Fails To Follow Due Process
In cases of Trademark registration, the scammers might spoof the USPTO logo and send clients fake receipts. They do not register the trademark under USPTO.
Absconds With People’s Money
The final stage of this scam is the disappearing act. How does this happen? by shutting down the website and ceasing communication with clients .
What You Should Do If You Receive The Trademark Urban Scam Email
Do Not Engage
Do not attempt to reply the email as responding can lead to more scams. The best action you should take in this scenario is to totally ignore these emails.
Seek Legitimate Counsel
The next action you should take as a business owner or brand owner is to consult with a reputable trademark attorney for genuine concerns.
Educate Your Staff and Colleagues
Informing your staff and colleagues about this latest scam would ensure they do not fall prey to it. Upon receiving similar emails, they’d be cautious and know the right steps to take.
Report the Scam
You should help others by reporting these fraudulent registration websites to relevant authorities such as the USPTO helpdesk. This would enable them issue a warning to the public about the ongoing scam.
Trademark Urban Red Flags:
It’s Among a Chain of Trademark Scam Websites
Trademark Urban shares same website design, content, and address with Trademark Swift and Trademark Troop– an exposed trademark scam. From all indications, it’s part of a large chain of trademark scams.
Spoofs Legitimate Attorney
Trademark Urban uses the name of reputable attorneys eg; ‘Brian Williams’ to trick recipients. However, this is all part of the scam. One of the attorneys often mentioned in their email is ‘Amanda Rokita’. It’s all just a hoax. The real Amanda Rokita has issued a warning about trademark scams using her name –
“Please note that it has come to our attention that businesses are receiving emails from “Trademark Swift” and “Trademark Blink” using Amanda Rokita’s name in the signature. Our office has never been affiliated with any third party trademark companies, some of which have been identified by the USPTO as a scam. We only offer trademark services through our law firm, Rokita Law, P.C. If you received one of these emails, we would greatly appreciate it if you would forward it to [email protected]. Thank you”
Not a Legal Entity
The email is written in such a way that makes recipient believe Trademark Urban is a legal entity, however this is misrepresentation. On the website’s about us page, they state they’re not a law firm. This means there’s no real applicant intending to use the aforementioned trademark.
Recently Registered Website
For a business that claimed to have provided trademark solutions to thousands of businesses, it’s surprising that they’ve only been operating for a short while (since November 2023). How could they’ve catered for a thousand clients in a short time?
Fake Business Address
Trademark Urban is using the address of a popular place ‘610 S Broadway Los Angeles, CA 90014’ to trick people. The building’s lease officer said the only attorney located there is an Uber & Lyft Accident lawyer.
How To Avoid Similar Trademark Scams
- Ignore Unsolicited calls or emails that are not from the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) from its domain “@uspto.gov
- Consult an IP attorney if you have any concerns about misleading info you’ve received about trademarks.
- Search online reviews and the Better Business Bureau for complaints before engaging any registration company.
- Verify licenses to ensure your service provider is a real law firm and attorney licensed to practice.
- Ask detailed questions about their registration process, fees, and what specific services are included.
- Get everything in writing such as service agreements, scope of work, and fee breakdowns.
- Use payment methods that allow chargebacks like credit cards in case services aren’t rendered.
Conclusion
Trademark Urban is a scam Trademark Registration Company. This scam website uses lies and high pressure tactics to coerce people into registering trademarks. Then it proceeds to scam them by offering subpar services with inflated bills.
