Compliance Scam Alert in Georgia: Corporate Minutes Hoax Not Limited to Ohio
You can chalk this post up as one that we all should have seen coming.
The compliance form hoax being perpetrated in Ohio is not just limited to to the Buckeye State. On Wednesday afternoon, The Daily Citizen in Georgia reported a similar scam that its making its way through the Peach State. From the report, which was was submitted to The Daily Citizen by the Georgia Secretary of State’s office:
Georgia Secretary of State Karen Handel has warned corporations that her office received numerous complaints about solicitations sent from a firm called “Compliance Services.” The firm offers to complete corporate meeting minutes on behalf of Georgia corporations for a fee. The “Annual Minutes Requirement Statement” included in the offer is very similar to solicitations mailed over the last two years from firms named “Georgia Corporate Compliance” and “Georgia Corporate Headquarters.”
Despite the implications contained in the solicitation, Georgia corporations are not required by law to file corporate minutes with the Secretary of State. Additionally, Compliance Services is not registered with the Secretary of State’s Corporations Division to do business in Georgia.
“Georgia corporate customers should be advised that their company is not required to file annual minutes,” Handel said.
Much of the confusion about these forms stems from their official look. In the Ohio case, as reported by the Cleveland Plain-Dealer, $150 is solicited along with “official-looking forms” that the soliciting party offers to file, stating that it is a requirement that corporate minutes be filed with the State. There is no mention in The Daily Citizen article of a specific dollar amount being solicited. However, the details of the hoax are nearly identical. They are presented in a manner similar to annual registration forms send out by the Secretary of State’s Office and contain a limited response time.
Clearly, corporate officers in every state should be on the lookout for a similar style scam coming their way. It is important to note that official correspondence from offices of the secretary of state typically include the State Seal and the name of the Secretary. If either is missing, you should be wary of the documents and follow up with the appropriate authorities.
Update: Based on some of the comments and emails we have been receiving, many CCI readers are receiving the scam forms from Compliance Services. Your best course of action if you receive these forms is to notify the Secretary of State’s Office in your state. If you need help getting the right contact information, drop us a quick note and we will help direct you.
Tags: Compliance, scam
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I received one of these solicitations in the mail today.
Is there some place to report these people? It would seem that this would be a felony or considered a federal crime since they are using the US postal service.
Isn’t there a governement agency that over sees matters like this?
@Ann Hare, thank you for your comment.
The link in the article to the story at the Daily Citizen about the scam in Georgia is no longer an active link. However, the following resource has some additional links to stories about this scam, which is going on all over the country:
http://www.compliancebuilding.com/tag/corporate-compliance-business-services-scam/
One of the articles, from Massachusetts, lists the email address for a person at the Secretary of State’s office as the official person to contact when you receive these fraudulent forms.
I would contact the Georgia Secretary of State Office and let them know you have received this:
http://sos.georgia.gov/contact.htm
For anyone else with a similar question, my best advice would be to contact the Secretary of State in your state.
Yep, just got my scam mail. I’m going to file a complaint.
Thought I would share this public information. Just so you know who is running the scam letter’s web site and email.
http://whois.domaintools.com/corpsrvc.com
@Jason, thank you for posting. We just sent an email to the person listed as the administrator to try and get a comment or explanation. We will post immediately if there is any response.
@CCI,
Just wanted to let you and anyone reading this that sometimes domains get hijacked and the owner has no clue there domain is being used in such a manner. So, with that…we will wait and see if a response is given. We can always escalate a complaint to the registrar holder listed in the domain whois.
Thanks.
@Jason, that’s a great point, and exactly the reason why I wanted to give the the person registered a chance to respond. We shall see if he/she does.
I received two of these solicitations today, one from MA, the other from IN, the Indiana SOS indicated it is a fraud; the one from “Compliance Services, 71 Commercial St., #241, Boston, MA 02109″ is probably also a fraud. In any event, we already have registered agents who handle our filings & registrations, so there would never be a reason to complete these forms
Thank you for this information and for saving me $125.00.
I have been doing business in Georgia for over 6 years and wondered why this was the first year I received a request for Annual Minutes and from a Macon address not an Atlanta one. DOR and DOL have Atlanta addresses.
Keep up the Good Work,
Jean Toxen
@Jean Toxen, glad we could be of service. That’s why we posted this item. Hopefully many more people are being as savvy as you and avoiding this unnecessary scam.