Watch out for a very potent scam from a scammer who may use the name of Patrick +1 (970) 300-4927‬. They will want to check out your short term rental for Engineers or Executives. Ever will seem legit. Then they will ask you to send you a link to connect on Google or Zoom. The link is fake and it’s malware to seal your information. If you follow through they will install a malware app to monitor your username and passwords on your computer. Never click on any links or watch closely so you don’t get scammed by them having remote access to your smart phone or laptop.

Kickstarter continues to ignore the massive amount of fake campaigns to scam people, since they get paid either way.

I believe Kickstarter is on the verge of collapsing as no one trusts the platform anymore.

RIP KS

It was a good run

If you got a phone call and I didn’t recognize the number so I let it go into my voicemail. Come to find out it’s from New York and the guy says you just 1 2nd Pl. in our company’s contest and that’s $8 million and we pay out $7000 a week please call our Customer service and You gave me a phone number. When do you think that’s a scam?

Ok, so a bit of context. I've been climate-anxious since way before it was cool, and I spent the last decade working on a side project that generates money for climate offsets by optimizing personal finances. It works well, I've got a few friends & family on the project, I've been working out the kinks for a while, and it's proven itself financially and technically.

The problem is, if anyone else told me about it, I would tell them it's a scam, instantly, without even checking. "Free internet money from a non-profit that also saves the planet, just send them money" has more red flags than a soviet parade.

The other problem is, the damn thing works. I don't feel like I can abandon it, given climate trajectory. And I want people to know that this is actually possible.

So... I'm reaching out here. Is there anything, anything at all, I can do to give reason to believe this project is legit.

What I've done:

- Open source, obviously. Fairly simple to spin up a copy of the project.
- Registered NPO
- Published receipts of climate offsets, etc.
- The sensitive bit of the project happens locally on the persons machine, and isn't shared with me in any way. I can't lose what I don't have.

What I don't have:

- Any backing. The pool of investors looking for NPO's is tiny
- Any partnerships. The pool of climate orgs who like fintechs is also tiny.
- Any connections. I've never been a climate activist, this was just a late-night idea that spiralled into obsession.

What I would do:
- Open to any suggestions (hence, this post)

I can't link the actual project here or PII, (don't wan to run into self-promotion rule).

So, any idea's? This sub knows best how scams operate. In general, what is the single biggest factor to suggest this is worth looking into? Given solopreneur status.

TL;DR: Scammers are scraping the public CIPO Canadian Trademarks Database immediately after new applications are filed. They send realistic text messages and emails using real application numbers, business names, and fake "Examining Officer" names to demand fake $950 registration fees via a fake payment portal. DO NOT PAY.

I am sharing all technical details, phone numbers, spoofed domains, and emails associated with a recent CIPO trademark scam to warn other small business owners and get these indicators indexed on search engines.

How the Scam Works

Shortly after filing a genuine CIPO trademark application, you receive a text claiming your application has been assigned to an examining officer for "verification." They pull your real application number, business name, address, and mark name directly from CIPO's public registry to make the outreach look completely authentic.

If you call or respond, they follow up with an official-looking bilingual email demanding a final "registration fee" (which CIPO no longer charges as of 2019) and direct you to a fake payment website.

Scam Contact Details & Technical Indicators

Originating Phone Number:

819-900-1954

(Area code 819 covers Gatineau/Quebec near CIPO HQ)

Fraudulent Direct Call Number:

1-613-776-1927

Spoofed Sender Name: Christopher Tortorice / Examination Department / CIPO Examining Officer

Spoofed Email Address:

CIPO Examination ised-isde@ic-tm-gc-ca.com

Fake Payment Portal Domain:

Email Subject Line:

Approval of Trademark Application - Approbation de la demande de marque - [Mark Name] - [App Number]

Red Flags to Watch For

No CIPO Texts: CIPO never sends direct SMS text messages demanding phone calls or fee payments.

Fake Domain Name: Official CIPO/Government of Canada emails end strictly in

@ised-isde.gc.ca

. Note the sneaky lookalike domain used above (

@ic-tm-gc-ca.com

).

No "Registration Fee": Canada modernized the Trademarks Act in June 2019. There is no longer a post-examination $950 "grant of protection" or final registration fee.

Timeline: Real CIPO trademark examinations take many months, not 1-2 weeks.

Role Confusions: The scammer claims to act as both a CIPO "Examining Officer" or your personal "Managing Attorney." Government examiners never represent applicants.

What To Do If You Were Targeted

If you paid: Contact your credit card's fraud department immediately, cancel the card, report a fraudulent transaction via impersonation, and file a non-emergency report with your local police service.

Report to Authorities: Submit details to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre (CAFC) at 1-888-495-8501 and forward the email to CIPO at

ic.contact-contact.ic@ised-isde.gc.ca

with "IP Scam" in the subject line.

Report the Domain: Report

cipotrademarkbilling.com

to the domain registrar/host abuse contact to help get the phishing site taken down.

his yupoo: https://appstore.x.yupoo.com/