Beware of misleading communications and scam messages
As a client of the Finnish Patent and Registration Office (PRH), you might receive emails, letters, phone calls and invoices that have nothing to do with the PRH. The letters may come from Finland or other countries in Finnish or English. Actual topics are used in scam messages, so we be alert.
Misleading emails and letters
For example, a misleading email or letter may
- ask you to file your beneficial owner details, for which you are asked to log in to a false web page
- offer the opportunity to check and update your details in a “company register"
- demand that you pay a renewal fee or a separate registration fee for a trademark
- warn you that your LEI code is about to expire and that you need to renew or transfer the code.
The sender of the scam message can masquerade as the PRH or the Finnish Patent and Registration Office. Always check the email address from which the message was actually sent. The PRH sends its email messages from an address ending with @prh.fi.
Misleading phone calls
The PRH never makes marketing calls. The only case we may contact you by phone is if there are gaps in your company’s notification.
In a misleading call, the caller might for example offer you the opportunity to check your company’s registered details and to update the details in a “company register" or at “the Business Information System at ytj.fi" for an annual fee. The caller might also give you the impression that your company will be removed from the “register" if you do not pay the fee.
False invoices and payment reminders
It is particularly trademark applicants and owners who receive false invoices and reminders. Always read the message carefully before you pay or commit yourself to anything.