Business filing scams have become so common that a number of state-corporate divisions have begun issuing scam warnings on their websites.
For example, the Oregon Secretary of State Corporation Division is warning business owners about a Workplace Compliance Services (W.C.S.) or C.P.S. mailing resembling the official annual report notice from the Oregon Secretary of State.
Similarly, the Washington Secretary of State’s Corporations and Charities Division is alerting business owners about postcards sent by the Business Compliance Division that look like the official State’s official cards.
Unfortunately, scams can be hard to identify, because scammers typically use names and logos that are similar to official state and federal agencies. Even the envelopes contain language designed to make you believe you’re holding an official communication.
Unfortunately, it’s easy for scammers to obtain enough specific information about your company to appear to be real government offices and registries. Filings are often publicly available online, and they typically contain the contact information of the owner of the business, as well as relevant dates.
This means you must be extremely careful when you receive any type of request for payment. You shouldn’t, however, simply throw away requests you’re not sure about, since they may actually be from a government office or official registry. In that event, ignoring the request may lead to the loss of your rights.
Carefully read any letter or notice you receive. Scam notices often say outright that they are not official government notices. For example, the Workplace Compliance Services notice mentioned above states in all caps, “W.C.S. IS NOT A GOVERNMENT AGENCY AND DOES NOT HAVE A CONTRACT WITH ANY GOVERNMENTAL AGENCY TO PROVIDE THIS SERVICE.”
If you’re not sure about a particular notice, you can do an Internet search for more information about that request. If you still can’t tell if it’s real, please feel free to contact us for assistance.
