Don’t respond to emails from a certain ‘Jasper Zane’ urging you to register your brand name or someone else would do so. Though it looks convincing, it is just a ploy to get you to pay for fake trademark registration fees.
The email claims an applicant intends to register your brand, however there’s no such person, and we’ve seen lots of these scam emails over the past few months.
A Breakdown of The Jasper Zane Trademark Scam
Once you call the number listed on the email, which allegedly belongs to that of the attorney ‘Jasper Zane’, you’ll be redirected to someone with a foreign accent. This person would try to convince you that you’ve limited time to register your brand.
He would insist that you make payment so he’d register your brand for you. Once you make the payment, the scammer would spoof the USPTO logo and send you fake receipts. They do not register the trademark under USPTO.
The final stage of this scam is the disappearing act. How does this happen? by ceasing communication with you.
A couple of small business owners sent us the following messages, detailing their experience with Jasper Zane of.
“I received an email stating that my website domain is about to be registered as a trademark by someone else. It had lots of legal mumbo jumbo that made it seem legit. Called and spoke with Jasper Zane and he convinced me to register my domain with trademarksprint.com. Did so, but uspto.gov shows my trademark application hasn’t been registered”
Red Flag #1
The legal mumbo jumbo on the email is just a trick to make recipients believe that it’d be a copyright infringement if someone else register their brand name. The truth is; Use in commerce under common law will not become infringement even if the junior trademark holder registers their trademark.
Red Flag #2
The websites involve in this trademark scam share same website design, content, and address with Trademark Swift and Trademark Troop– exposed scams. They even go as far as impersonating real attorneys; James D Kleeger, Kelvin Parker, etc.
Red Flag #3
The legal mumbo jumbo on the email is just a trick to make recipients believe it is from a legal entity. On the website’s about us page, they often state they’re not a law firm. This means there’s no real attorney and applicant intending to use the aforementioned trademark.
Red Flag #4
The websites used by this scam are all registered recently, barely weeks ago. Within that short time, it’s impossible to have provided trademark solutions to thousands of businesses, as claimed.
What You Should Do
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.
How To Avoid 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.
- Always vet a company thoroughly before using their services. This you can do by searching for reviews or complaints on TrustPilot and Better Business Bureau.
- Ask detailed questions about their registration process, fees, and what specific services are included.
- Never pay questionable third parties through irreversible means like wire transfers, gift cards or crypto. Responsible firms will have no issue with you using credit cards/payment methods offering fraud protection.