Misleading invoice fraud targeting the owners of intellectual property rights- crime situation 2021

This report, produced jointly by Europol and the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO), casts new light on misleading invoice fraud targeting the owners of intellectual property rights. The aim of the report is to enhance awareness among EU Member States and participating stakeholders on the topic of acquisition fraud connected with the national, European and international intellectual property rights registration processes and to provide an assessment of the dynamics of the scam. 

This report provides an overview of the scope of the invoice fraud, the modus operandi of the suspects and the impact of the scams. Therefore, it may become a useful status report for the attention of judicial authorities in the future.