DPMA issues fraud warning
In July, the German Patent and Trademark Office (DPMA) received increasing reports of forged payment requests. The payment requests were said to be associated with invoices relating to trademark matters. In an effort to deceive the recipient, the requests illegally bear the DPMA logo and contain a fake signature from an alleged DPMA official. Some of the payment requests are sent by post. You can recognize the fake payment requests because it references a foreign bank account, with a pre-filled transfer form or with general terms and conditions printed on the back. Please do not respond to such payment requests. In particular, if you have an appointed a patent attorney as a representative, you will not receive payment requests directly from the DPMA. If you have any question or concerns about suspicious communications, please don`t hesitate to contact us or the DPMA.
https://www.dpma.de/service/presse/pressemitteilungen/13072022/index.html