FRAUD ALERT: Watch out for Misleading Corporate Filing and Renewal Solicitations – UPDATE

FCS/PCTS — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 17:31:00 +0000

Regular readers of our blog may recall that several weeks ago we posted an item about misleading solicitations being sent to California small businesses. These official-looking notices demand exorbitant fees for the filing of annual statements or the drafting of corporate minutes and threaten loss of corporate status for failure to comply.

The Secretary of State’s office has issued a new Customer Alert to inform the public that the scope of the misleading solicitations has expanded to include dissolution filings.

The solicitation letters originate from a company called Business Filings Division. The letter instructs recipients to send $495 and a completed form to them for processing in order to dissolve their entity. The steps and verbiage suggested in the letter DO NOT meet the requirements of the California Corporations Code.

For more information and to view a sample of the misleading solicitation, you can follow this link to the Secretary of State’s New Customer Alert:

http://www.sos.ca.gov/business/be/alert-misleading-solicitations-terminations.htm

Please take some time to investigate the links included above and remember to review all notices carefully before submitting payment for services. If in doubt about a notice your firm has received by mail, call a public records specialist to discuss specific filing requirements for your organization.

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Fraud Alert: Watch out for Misleading Corporate Filing and Renewal Solicitations

FCS/PCTS — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 17:35:29 +0000

California public records professionals have learned of a troubling new con taking place in our state. Over the last couple of years, we have fielded countless phone calls from anxious clients regarding suspicious notices they have received in the mail. The official-looking notices demand exorbitant fees for the filing of annual statements or the drafting of corporate minutes and threaten loss of corporate status for failure to comply.

THESE NOTICES ARE FRAUDULENT. Although they may appear to come from a legitimate government agency, refer to specific code sections in the text or contain an official-looking seal, they are actually solicitations for business from phony companies that prey on earnest small business owners, hoping trick them into paying something for nothing.

Prompted by thousands of complaints, the Attorney General’s office is taking action. Last month, Attorney General Edmond G. Brown, Jr. filed suit against several individuals and businesses that have been running misleading solicitation scams.

You can read the Attorney General’s press release by following this link:

http://ag.ca.gov/newsalerts/release.php?id=1817&

The Secretary of State’s office has issued a Customer Alert that provides valuable tips for spotting fraudulent notices:

http://www.sos.ca.gov/business/be/alert-misleading-solicitations.htm

Please take some time to investigate the links provided above and remember to review all notices carefully before submitting payment for services. If in doubt about a notice your firm has received by mail, call a public records specialist to discuss specific filing requirements for your organization.

* Disclaimer

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FRAUD ALERT: Watch out for Misleading Corporate Filing and Renewal Solicitations – UPDATE

Fraud Alert: Watch out for Misleading Corporate Filing and Renewal Solicitations