Business Entities Claims to Represent Washington Secretary of State in Scam
A private company is claiming to represent the government in a Washington Secretary of State scam. Bogus letters demanding excessive fees to renew registration with the Secretary of State office are showing up at small business around the state.
Washington Secretary of State Scam Details
A letter from “State of Washington Business Entities” demands payment for the annual renewal of a company’s LLC status. The letter is designed to look like an official government communication, and includes the Washington state seal. The scammers address the letter directly to the business, and usually include the company’s Unified Business Identifier, or UBI, number.
Washington does require the annual renewal of a company’s LLC or corporate status. But the cost is only $71, and can be handled quickly using the real Secretary of State’s website. (You can also check your renewal status there.) Andrews Accounting often handles this process for its clients. However, Andrews add anything to the cost.
These letters, which can threaten penalties or even jail time, often demand in excess of $200. In addition, the letters can arrive during a time when renewal isn’t necessary yet, or even possible.
Clues the letters aren’t genuine government communications include web addresses that end in .org instead of .gov, and in some cases, a return address in California.
Attorney General’s Office Is Targeting the Washington Secretary of State Scam
The Washington State Attorney General’s office has received more than 40 complaints about the letters from Business Entities. The Attorney General has a Small Business Protection Initiative that investigate these types of scams. The office has already sued and won against similar scammers, such as EFile Business, Inc. and Online Filing LLC.
If you receive a letter like this, you can file your own complaint with the Attorney General’s office.
Links
The Secretary of State’s office has a webpage with examples of misleading notices and solicitations.
Similarly, the Department of Revenue details some ways to identify scams and phishing attempts.
Lastly, you can learn more about our services here!
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