The Intellectual Property Office (IPO) has issued a fresh warning to beware of misleading invoices, warning that customers should not pay these, and should always report them to the IPO.

The fake invoices are sent by unsolicited organisations and typically take the form of standard invoices requesting payment for trademarks, designs, or patents services.

Misleading payment requests can be received for all types of IP, but the most frequent scam targets trade mark customers.

The IPO has named over 20 organisations sending out fake invoices, many with names which could easily mislead the recipient and dupe them into paying the bill.