Solicitations that appear to come from government agencies regarding annual renewal fees are on the rise. Many businesses have reported getting mailings regarding their annual report renewal for 2024 that appear very official in nature but are in fact junk mail. Another example of this type of predatory mailing is one that claims a Pending Trademark Cancellation. In both of these examples, the mailing appears very official and contains a deadline for “renewal”. They look quite scary for sure and are designed to provoke the reader to take immediate action by sending money.
Wool Landon encourages you to take the time to read such mailings carefully. You can always reach out to our office if you are in doubt.
Here are some ways you can spot these deceptive alerts.
- The solicitation mentioned above for annual renewal has the following sentence in fine print: “W.C.S. IS NOT A GOVERNMENT AGENCY AND DOES NOT HAVE A CONTRACT WITH ANY GOVERNMENTAL AGENCY TO PROVIDE THIS SERVICE.” A thorough review of similar documents may reveal disclaimers such as this.
- The amount of the renewal fee is not the same as the actual renewal fee charged by the government agency.
- There is no official seal from the government agency.
If you receive a notice that you are unsure about you can oftentimes find alerts on the agency’s website. Another way to ensure that you don’t become a victim is to check with your Wool Landon attorney prior to sending any money in response to an unsolicited mailing or email.