. . But some of the perpetrators may have been caught.
California
California businesses have recent reports. The scam seems to have been operating in California for years.
Colorado
There are reports of the scam in Colorado: State Corporate Compliance fraud. The Secretary of State is also getting complaints about the Colorado Compliance Recorder: Updated Notice Regarding “Annual Minutes” Solicitations
Indiana
Indiana issued a warning that several businesses have reported receiving a deceptive letter that would appear to come from an official government source. The letter solicits an annual fee of $125 or $150 and claims it will be used for record keeping and processing of a company’s annual minutes. It gives the appearance of coming from a legitimate government agency and cites fictitious state law. Scam Alert for Businesses in Indiana. But the Secretary of State has filed a complaint to try to stop the scam.
Montana
Montana has issued a warning, although the Secretary of State has not received any complaints and is not aware of any Montana businesses being affected: Business Scam Alert (.pdf) (I am not sure that I agree that the scam is “potentially dangerous.”)
New York
In the Empire State, it looks like the scam has spread to condominiums and cooperatives: Scam or Useful Service? The Corporate Records Compliance Office Speaks
Texas
It looks like the scam has been operating in Texas for a few years, masquerading as a state agency. They may have caught the person behind some of it: Californian Charged With Unlawfully Profiting From Fake State Document Scheme.
Others
Previously, I noted that the scam was found in Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Massachusetts, and Ohio.
Catching the Bad Guys
Its not clear if the scams in each state are perpetrated by the same group. The Indiana Secretary of State filed a complaint against Aaron V. Williams of Las Vegas, Lisa Diane Brown of California and several companies affiliated with them. (Of course these people have merely charged and are not necessarily guilty.)
UPDATE:
The Texas Attorney General filed suit against other parties, but the suit was dismissed.
References:
- Indiana Complaint Against International Corporate Marketing, et al – Hosted on JDsupra
- Texas Complaint Against Corporate Compliance, Inc., et al – Hosted on JDsupra
- California Law Blog: Indiana Secretary of State Corporate Minutes Mailings
- Corporate Compliance Insights: The compliance scams continue. Beware!