Normally I don’t post on these scam alerts but this one is good and I could see many businesses paying the fees to keep their business in “good standing”.
Last night I opened this letter (as pictured), looked it over and instantly thought that my business was in good standing but why was I being contacted?
The letter is from the Corporate Controllers Unit and not the state… I instantly sensed it was slightly fishy and searched google for it and found the scam alert from the Secretary of State (official release here or see below – the state has removed this notice but keep a good eye on this stuff).
Alert Regarding Potentially Deceptive Solicitations
The Colorado Secretary of State’s office is notifying Colorado businesses of a possibly deceptive solicitation issued by “Corporate Controllers Unit.” The entity has mailed solicitations titled “Periodic Report” to businesses in Colorado. These solicitations offer to process periodic reports with the Secretary of State’s office on behalf of entities for a $225.00 fee. Though the majority of entities doing business in Colorado are required to file periodic reports with the Secretary of State’s office, the filing can be completed directly with the Secretary of State’s office and in most cases the fee is merely $10.00.
Although the solicitations contain disclaimers stating that “This product or service has not been approved or endorsed by any Government Agency and this offer is not being made by an agency of the Government,” the solicitation is creating confusion. Please be aware, the forms are not required by the Colorado Secretary of State’s Office. We encourage you to review your entity’s record and if necessary file any needed reports online at www.sos.state.co.us.
You may check the status of an entity online at www.sos.state.co.us. Select “Search Business Database” in the “Let us help you…” section of the Secretary of State’s homepage. Enter either the entity name or ID number in the appropriate field on the Records Search page. Searching by the entity’s ID number will display the Summary page. Searching by the entity name will result in a list of names similar to the name searched and will require you to select the proper record. Review the information on the Summary page to confirm that the proper record has been retrieved. The current status for the entity is listed near the middle of the Summary page.
If you have any questions please contact my (secretary of state’s) staff directly at 303-894-2200 or email [email protected].
Click here to view an example of a Colorado Corporate Controller solicitation
If you know of any businesses this is worth calling their attention to. It looks very official and uses the right verbiage to scam people out of their money.
Have a question about this article? Let us know we would love to help!
Contact Simplex Studios Today!
We provide website design, support, and marketing consulting for all businesses. We use the latest tools to push your businesses forward and help you get in front of your customers.