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ATTENTION Business Owners Watch Out for These Current Scams
UPDATED 4/10/17 –
Nevada: IRS Scam
The Nevada Secretary of State (SOS) is the latest office to issue a scam alert involving the fraudulent use of a document altered to appear to be an official certificate issued by the SOS. The scam requests the recipient pay “IRS tax fees” in order to receive “winning money” from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). If you need assistance verifying the authenticity of any official-looking documents you receive, do not hesitate to call us at 800-318-7407. We can help determine the legitimacy before you take action.
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According to the Pennsylvania Department of State, business owners in Pennsylvania have recently been plagued by several scams. Posing as official state associations, scammers are using direct mail campaigns to request payment for unnecessary fees from business owners. The Pennsylvania DOS advises to be aware of the following three fraudulent direct mail campaigns:
Division of Corporate Services – Compliance Division: A mailing from this company requests that business owners complete a form with officer and director information and pay a fee of $150. This company has no official association with the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania; it is a scam.
Business Compliance Division: This company also has no official association with the Commonwealth and is running a scam. A mailing from this company asks business owners “to avoid potential fees and penalties” by calling a toll-free number. Callers are advised that in order to comply with state regulations, they must order a “certificate of existence” for $100 (using credit card information). The address for this company is the same address used by the “Division of Corporate Services – Compliance Division,” and reportedly corresponds to a UPS store in Harrisburg.
Pennsylvania Council for Corporations: Similar to the “Division of Corporate Services – Compliance Division”, this scam also asks that business owners complete a form with the names of their shareholders, directors, and officers, and return it with payment of a $125 fee.
Although these mailings reference Pennsylvania statutes and may look official, these three companies have no official association with the state of Pennsylvania, and paying the unnecessary fees will do nothing to keep a business compliant. Business owners should note that when official notices are sent to businesses by the Pennsylvania Department of State or the Secretary of the Commonwealth, they will contain letterhead and/or contact information for the Bureau of Corporations and Charitable Organizations.