Scam Alerts
Beware of Phony State Agency Documents
Unfortunately, one of the most common scams is the use of phony state agency documents. Designed to look like official documents, the phony documents entice recipients to fill them out and file with the Secretary of State or other state agency. For any official looking document, please review carefully and read the small print. If you are not sure, please contact us and we will assist you. If you should receive one of these types of documents, please alert us at support@companyguard.com.
Georgia Corporate Compliance Company
Many corporations registered in the State of Georgia recently received correspondence from a company called Georgia Corporate Compliance, which offers to complete corporation meeting minutes. The forms provided by Georgia Corporate Compliance are not required by the Office of the Secretary of State of Georgia and do not affect a company’s good standing. Due to confusion caused by this mailing, the Secretary of State’s office has issued a reminder that any official requests or statements will include a state seal and the name of Secretary of State Karen Handel.
Office of the Compliance Recorder Solicitations in Texas
Many Texas business entities recently received a solicitation for the Annual Minutes Disclosure Statement from a Los-Angeles based entity calling itself the “Office of the Compliance Recorder.” This solicitation implies that Texas businesses are required to complete the statement and pay a fee of $150. The forms provided in this solicitation are not required by the Texas Secretary of State and entities are not required to do business with the Office of the Compliance Recorder.
Illinois Compliance Scam
Non-governmental firms called "Illinois Corporate Compliance" or "Annual Corporate Compliance" are trying to collect a $150 fee to file corporate minutes. Please be advised that corporations are not required by law to file minutes with any government or private entity.
Misleading Compliance Solicitations in California
We are receiving an increasing number of inquiries regarding a recent solicitation that has been sent to many companies registered in California. The third party solicitations request that a fee and a completed form be submitted in order for the business to comply with applicable California or other law. The solicitations tend to have one or more of the following characteristics (See Sample A, Sample B or Sample C for examples of these mailings):
- Appear similar to a Secretary of State Statement of Information form
- Contain an official-looking seal
- Quote a specific statute or other law on the form to be filled out and returned
- Imply that failing to return the form and pay the requested fee may place the entity in legal jeopardy, or might cause the entity's filings with the California Secretary of State to be in default or noncompliant status;
- Contain a reference to a "file number," "Corp Number," "Corporation Number," or "Control Number" that does not match the number assigned to the entity by the California Secretary of State;
- Reference or quote Corporations Code sections inapplicable to the type of entity being solicited, such as Code sections applicable to corporations when soliciting a limited liability company;
- Reference an "annual fee" or "annual payment" rather than a filing fee and that is in excess of the filing fee for a Statement of Information;
- Provide an estimated processing time for "minutes" to be prepared and mailed to the entity;
- Indicate the submitted information will be treated as private and confidential.
The above is only a portion of the information available on the California Secretary of State website.
Scams Civil Suit in California
The Office of the Attorney General for the State of California filed suit against eight individuals and six businesses for three scams that targeted small businesses. The lawsuits seek to recover more than $3 million.
These lawsuits involve three different scams that included mailing solicitations to small businesses. These solicitations resembled government documents, featured official-looking seals, official-sounding names, citations to the Corporate Code and a reply by date. The forms claimed that the businesses were in danger of losing their corporate or limited liability status if payment was not made.