These emails concern European Trade Mark applications and registrations and appear to originate from individuals who are both solicitors and Irish Registered Trade Mark Attorneys. However, the individuals named in the emails are not affiliated with the companies or law firms referenced and the emails were not sent by the individuals.

Steps to take

To help prevent and respond to such misuse, we recommend that solicitors who are Irish Registered Trade Mark Attorneys do the following:

1. Verify Contact Details with IPOI
   Ensure that your email address is up to date on the register of the Intellectual Property Office of Ireland (IPOI). This will allow the IPOI to contact you promptly should they become aware of any fraudulent use of your name.
2. Report Fraudulent Activity
   If you believe that your name has been used fraudulently, please report the incident to:
• An Garda Síochána; and
• The European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO)

When reporting to the EUIPO, include the relevant case number and the EUIPO will forward this to Europol to support cross-border investigations. Please retain the original scam email and send this as an attachment, rather than forwarding the email, as this allows for IT analysis of the message origin.

Cyber security support

If you have any concerns, please contact the Law Society of Ireland at cybersecurity@lawsociety.ie.

For further support, information and cyber security training to help you minimise risk. Visit our cyber security hub.