How trademark scams work: WTMR changes name to WTRM

This scam offering (below) from WTRM, Inc. looked so familiar when a client forwarded it to me last week. But when I searched online I couldn’t find any warnings about WTRM.

The reason I couldn’t find any warnings was that just a few weeks ago they were sending bogus trademark directory offers using the name WTMR, Inc.  See images below. The addresses are the same. The logos are the same. The offers are the same. The costs are the same. Yet the name changed to help avoid unsuspecting recipients from discovering this sham.

The new offer is so poorly done that in the fine print it still references WTMR, and so does the logo and the top right corner.

It seems to me that this is clear evidence of an intent to mislead and defraud consumers who own trademark filings with the USPTO. When will the USPTO, Trademark Public Advisory Committee (TPAC), Fair Trade Commission (FTC), Department of Justice (DoJ), and U.S. Postal Service (USPS) ramp up any investigations and crack downs on these scams. Of course it is not easy to track the catch those behind these offerings, but is enough being done? Not in my opinion.

WTRM, Inc. offer from last week:

WTMR, Inc. offer from just a few weeks ago, which I blogged about here:

Don’t be taken for this scam to the tune of $980.00 USD.

Beware of such scams. Read the fine print. Contact your attorney. Report scams to the FTC and USPTO.

For more information, see:

• How to avoid being taken by a trademark scam
• WARNING: Non-USPTO Solicitations That May Resemble Official USPTO Communications