"ACTION REQUIRED: MANDATORY VERIFICATION APPOINTMENT. Your trademark application requires a verification appointment before it can proceed to the next stage of processing."
Here's a hypothetical, and everyone in it is made up. Juniper (made up) runs Quillfeather Hot Sauce (a made-up brand). She filed her trademark on a Friday.
Sunday at 8:40 p.m., the email above landed. It had her mark. Her serial number. Her street address. The name of an "examining attorney," a phone number, and an appointment for 9:30 a.m. Monday. Have ready: business use dates, her title, a business description. And her EIN.
Your EIN, your title, years in business. That's the top half of every funding application she'd ever filled out.
Miss the call, it warned, and the application could be abandoned. One line near the bottom said the call would cover her "monetary commitment."
Juniper almost dialed. Then she saw the sender address. No .gov.
The pattern is real. A BBB Scam Tracker report from July 27, 2026 describes almost exactly this: a trademark filed on a Friday, two scam texts the same day, then a Sunday-night email from a supposed examining attorney with a "required verification appointment" at 9:30 a.m. In early October 2026, a trademark professional posted on LinkedIn that her version arrived on October 1, a day after the appointment it said she'd already missed. A Minnesota trademark firm warned on October 2 about the same emails, some asking for product photos or fees.
The USPTO's own July 2026 briefing says trademark scam reports to the agency rose 1,034% from FY23 to FY25, with USPTO impersonation the most common type. Its advice to new filers is blunt: "You will be contacted by USPTO impersonators immediately after filing."
Red flags
A phone "verification appointment." Examination happens in writing, through office actions. The USPTO lists "verification appointment scams" in its own scam briefing (USPTO, FBT Gibbons).
A sender that doesn't end in @uspto.gov. Real USPTO emails do (USPTO).
Your exact filing details quoted back to you. That's public data, not proof (USPTO).
A threat of abandonment within days. Real office actions usually give you three months to respond, with an option to extend three more for a fee (USPTO).
Any ask for payment or personal info by phone, email, or text, or payment by wire, gift card, or payment app. The USPTO says it never does this (USPTO, FTC).
Caller ID that says USPTO. Caller ID can be faked (FTC).
What to do
Don't call. Don't reply, not even to say stop. A reply confirms your inbox is live (FBT Gibbons).
Check your file yourself in TSDR. The USPTO says official communications, including payment requests, are always uploaded there.
If it's not in TSDR, it's not from the USPTO.
Still unsure? Call the Trademark Assistance Center at 1-800-786-9199, a number you looked up, not one from the email (USPTO).
Forward the email to TMScams@uspto.gov.
Paid already? Call your bank or card issuer now and ask to stop or reverse it. Then report it at ReportFraud.FTC.gov, to your state attorney general, to BBB Scam Tracker, and to the FBI at ic3.gov. The USPTO lists all four.
Gave out your EIN or account details? Watch your business bank accounts closely (Accelerate IP). Never share your USPTO.gov password (USPTO).
Juniper (made up) forwards it to TMScams@uspto.gov and blocks the sender. Monday, 9:30 a.m. comes and goes. Nobody calls.
FAQ
Does the USPTO schedule phone verification appointments for trademarks? No. Examination happens in writing, and the USPTO flags "verification appointment" emails as a scam (USPTO, FBT Gibbons).
How did the scammer get my serial number and address? Trademark application records are public by law, including your name, address, and email. Scammers pull them from USPTO records (USPTO).
Will my application be abandoned if I skip the "appointment"? Not for missing a fake call. Real deadlines come in a written office action, usually three months to respond, extendable three more for a fee (USPTO).
How do I check if a USPTO email is real? Look it up in TSDR. Real emails end in @uspto.gov. You can also call the Trademark Assistance Center at 1-800-786-9199 (USPTO).
Does the USPTO ever take payment over the phone? No. The USPTO says it never asks for payment info by phone, email, or text, and doesn't require wire transfers or gift cards (USPTO, FTC).
Where do I report a fake USPTO email or call? TMScams@uspto.gov, ReportFraud.FTC.gov, your state attorney general, BBB Scam Tracker, and the FBI's IC3 (USPTO).
Sources:
USPTO, Recognizing common scams: https://www.uspto.gov/trademarks/protect/recognizing-common-scams
USPTO Hour slides, July 2026: https://www.uspto.gov/sites/default/files/documents/tm-uspto-hour-trademarks-july-2026.pdf
USPTO, Response time period: https://www.uspto.gov/trademarks/apply/response-time-period
FTC Consumer Advice, Scammers are impersonating the USPTO (Sep. 9, 2025): https://consumer.ftc.gov/consumer-alerts/2025/09/scammers-are-impersonating-united-states-patent-and-trademark-office
BBB Scam Tracker report, fake USPTO verification appointment (Jul. 27, 2026): https://www.bbb.org/scamtracker/lookupscam/1369840
FBT Gibbons, Scam Alert: Fake USPTO "Trademark Verification" Communications (Apr. 17, 2026): https://fbtgibbons.com/scam-alert-fake-uspto-trademark-verification-emails-targeting-trademark-applicants/
Accelerate IP, The "Mandatory Verification Appointment" Trademark Scam (Jul. 17, 2026): https://accelerateip.com/the-mandatory-verification-appointment-trademark-scam-what-to-know/
Twin Cities Trademarks, scam alert on fake USPTO verification emails (Oct. 2, 2026): https://twincitiestrademarks.com/trademark-application-scam-alert-for-minnesota-federal-trademark-applicants-beware-of-fraudulent-uspto-verification-emails-from-teastsdrlawoffice-com/
LinkedIn post by a trademark professional on the scam email (Oct. 2026): https://www.linkedin.com/posts/jackie-stelling_uspto-scam-activity-7511579063413587968-cHLh
USPTO trademark scam reports: TMScams@uspto.gov
FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center: https://www.ic3.gov
BBB Scam Tracker: https://www.bbb.org/scamtracker