A BUSINESS advice agency is warning companies in Kent to beware of scams that persuade them to part with their financial details, or simply with large sums of money.

Business Link Kent (BLK) says the latest scam to hit the county comes in the form of a fax asking prospective contractors to the Office of Government Commerce (OGC) to complete and return a form requesting their bank account details, sort codes and other financial information. The OGC has said it would never do this.

It is not the only scam targeting Kent companies doing the rounds at the moment.

BLK's Kim Fletcher said: "We have been informed of a scheme aimed at vulnerable people trying to protect their intellectual property.

"When they are in the process of registering the name of a product or company as a trademark, they receive an official looking letter from the European Institute for Economy and Commerce asking for a registration fee of almost £500.

"This is nothing more than a request for payment to enable the company to be listed in a directory only available to subscribers.

"The small print states that 'registration is not obligatory', which means that this is not an illegal request."

The EIEC contacts businesses that have made legitimate applications for trademarks and patents in the UK and elsewhere.

By law, these have to be published for three months ahead of a company receiving the final go-ahead so any objections can be raised.

As the EIEC requests that payment is sent only by cheque, the chances of a refund are greatly reduced.

The UK Patent Office has warned of "companies offering services of dubious value or making what appear to be misleading requests for fees".

Mr Fletcher added: "The lesson to be learnt from both of these scams is to always read the small print carefully and, if in doubt, contact the organisation that has requested payment or financial details."