Spams, Slams, and Scams

May 12, 2012

There are crooks all over the world whose firm belief is that you and I are stupid and they are smart. Of course, if they were smarter than the rest of us, they wouldn’t have to be crooks.

The stereotypical letter from some idiot in Nigeria which begins, “Dear blessed one…” and proceeds to tell you that they can provide millions if you’ll only help them has become the purse snatcher of the digital age. More recently, however, you’ll find that you receive strange “official” notices advising you that your trademarks will not be renewed or need protection or are being sought in foreign countries. The disclaimers about not being government notices are so small you’d need an electron microscope the read them.

I’m just returned from London, and on just one of my many trademarks, Alan’s Friday Wrap®, I have notices from:

Patent Trademark Register in Vienna

Registration of International Trademars in the Czech Republic

These are all complete with bank transfer information! Some are for thousands of dollars.

This is why I advise to always use a trademark attorney and not merely an Internet filing. When in doubt, ship the forms over to your attorney. There are US scammers who do the exact same thing, advising you that you need “added protection.”

It’s one thing to be dumb enough to be a criminal. But when you think that makes you smarter than those earning an honest living, well, that’s simply delusional.