Category: Payment
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Trademark registration scam from WOTRA – World Organization for Trademarks
Businesses in Australia who have registered a trademark are currently being hit by a scam that originates from a company that calls themselves WOTRA – World Organization for Trademarks. Their website is located at wotra-register.com. An example of one of their letters, which strongly resembles an invoice that requires payment, is shown below. Registering a…
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Warning: trademark renewal from PTMO – Patent & Trademark Organisation
A number of trademark owners in Australia, particularly those in the high profile travel and tourism sector, have recently received an official looking letter from PTMO (Patent & Trademark Organisation) advising that their trademark is expiring and the steps that need to be taken to renew it. Trademarks, or brands, are used to uniquely identify…
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Careful with Victoria Tourism & www.victoriatourism.com.au listing renewals
A number of accommodation managers in Victoria have been receiving unsolicited emails requesting that they renew their listing on the Victoria Tourism website at www.victoriatourism.com.au. Before going any further, it is very important to note that Victoria Tourism is in no way related to the official government tourism organisation of Tourism Victoria. In fact, the…
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Website domain registration scam by Domain Name Group
Last week, we reported the domain registration scam by DomainRegister. Now, a week later, another one has popped up, this time by Domain Name Group. It’s very similar to the DomainRegister scam – you are sent an official looking document which resembles an invoice that needs to be paid. The document comes from: Domain Name…
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Website domain registration scam by DomainRegister
If you have registered an internet domain for your website, you may be the target of scams by other domain registrars who may employ a number of procedures to trick you into registering additional similar domains at inflated prices. These organisations are able to find out your contact details, as the registered domain owner, by…
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Holiday Great Ocean Road & www.holidaygreatoceanroad.com false billing scam
Accommodation businesses operating within the Great Ocean Road region in Victoria have been on the receiving end of a false billing scam. It has been operating since 2012, resulting in bills being sent out for unauthorised advertising on a tourism website. Invoices are being sent out by Holiday Great Ocean Road for advertising on the…
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VIC Tourism & www.victourism.com.au false billing scam
A new false billing scam is actively targeting those who manage accommodation properties in Victoria. Bills are being posted out for unauthorised advertising on a website which bears a name very similar to Tourism Victoria – Victoria’s official tourism body. Unauthorised bills are being sent out by VIC Tourism for advertising on the www.victourism.com.au website. …
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Accommodation VIC & www.accommodationvic.com.au false billing scam
A false billing scam which began in 2010 is still targeting accommodation providers in Victoria. It involves sending out bills for unauthorised advertising on a travel website. The unauthorised bills are sent out by Accommodation VIC for advertising on the www.accommodationvic.com.au website. Refer below to a sample of the invoices they post out in the…
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Will booking your accommodation directly with the property give you the best deal?
When booking accommodation, you can either book directly with the property, or choose to go through a third-party booking service, such as Wotif, Expedia or Agoda. So which gives you the best deal? Let’s put this to the test with a real-life example. Let’s consider the Bairnsdale Motel which is located at Bairnsdale, in eastern…
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Trademark publication scam now hitting Australian travel & tourism businesses
Australian travel and tourism businesses are regularly the target of scams that are designed to defraud them. Recently, there’s been a wave of scams directed at those businesses who have registered a trademark. What you get is an unsolicited letter in the post that features an image of your trademark, your personal contact details and…