Scammers targeting Florida businesses. I don't know how this is legal and how many people they have scammed. I received this official looking form which looks like something the State of Florida Division of Corporations would send out. It was addressed to my business. It mentions the Florida law and annual reporting instructions.
It said I need to pay $199.00 by check. It said to respond by 12-28-2018 and "respond today!" which is the largest print on the form. I literally got my checkbook out and was stressed that I had to pay the State a surprising $199.00. Then I studied it further before I began to fill it out. Then I compared it to my State website because I don't remember there being a huge renewal fee for my business. Of course there is no annual fee to renew. It is FREE to renew my business license in Florida and these folks literally said my state fee is included. So yes that is a lie. I'm filing other complaints about them. This is a scam taking place in multiple states and more importantly here in Florida. This is a form of deceptive advertising and consumer fraud. The form looks like it came from the State. There are hundreds of complaints online when you google the company name. They need to be stopped. They are working out of a UPS Store in Tallahassee. They need to be arrested. It is horrible to scam innocent people out of money. In my opinion this company is nothing more than financial predators. These guys have been sued by the Attorney General in Michigan, Arizona and other states I believe.
The State of Michigan prosecuted them and won. The names behind the business document scam are Steven, Joseph and Thomas Fata. Google them
"Misleading compliance solicitations that are being sent to entities formed or qualified in certain states. While the majority of these solicitations relate to annual reports (or periodic reports), some of them focus on annual minutes or business-license requirements. We’re committed to keeping our clients aware of these solicitations and scams, and will alert you to new ones as they arise. These deceptive solicitations look official and appear to be coming from the state. The common theme is that they direct the recipient to send a fee, usually much higher than the state would charge, often for services that are not needed.
A key indicator when reviewing these solicitations is to review the fine print, which will usually say something like, “This product has not been approved or endorsed by any government agency and this offer is not being made by an agency of the government.” There are subtle variations of this language that seem official.
Some of these solicitations do not include headings that appear to come from the state, but they include details about the entity, officers, and directors, and warnings about penalties and fines that could lead the recipient to believe they are official."
Workplace Compliance Services Reviews
Scammers targeting Florida businesses. I don't know how this is legal and how many people they have scammed. I received this official looking form which looks like something the State of Florida Division of Corporations would send out. It was addressed to my business. It mentions the Florida law and annual reporting instructions.
It said I need to pay $199.00 by check. It said to respond by 12-28-2018 and "respond today!" which is the largest print on the form. I literally got my checkbook out and was stressed that I had to pay the State a surprising $199.00. Then I studied it further before I began to fill it out. Then I compared it to my State website because I don't remember there being a huge renewal fee for my business. Of course there is no annual fee to renew. It is FREE to renew my business license in Florida and these folks literally said my state fee is included. So yes that is a lie. I'm filing other complaints about them. This is a scam taking place in multiple states and more importantly here in Florida. This is a form of deceptive advertising and consumer fraud. The form looks like it came from the State. There are hundreds of complaints online when you google the company name. They need to be stopped. They are working out of a UPS Store in Tallahassee. They need to be arrested. It is horrible to scam innocent people out of money. In my opinion this company is nothing more than financial predators. These guys have been sued by the Attorney General in Michigan, Arizona and other states I believe.
The State of Michigan prosecuted them and won. The names behind the business document scam are Steven, Joseph and Thomas Fata. Google them
Here is the Michigan article:
https://delawarebusinessnow.com/2017/08/michigan-brothers-settle-case-pitching-unneeded-delaware-corporate-forms/
From Cogency:
https://www.cogencyglobal.com/misleading-annual-report-compliance-solicitations
"Misleading compliance solicitations that are being sent to entities formed or qualified in certain states. While the majority of these solicitations relate to annual reports (or periodic reports), some of them focus on annual minutes or business-license requirements. We’re committed to keeping our clients aware of these solicitations and scams, and will alert you to new ones as they arise. These deceptive solicitations look official and appear to be coming from the state. The common theme is that they direct the recipient to send a fee, usually much higher than the state would charge, often for services that are not needed.
A key indicator when reviewing these solicitations is to review the fine print, which will usually say something like, “This product has not been approved or endorsed by any government agency and this offer is not being made by an agency of the government.” There are subtle variations of this language that seem official.
Some of these solicitations do not include headings that appear to come from the state, but they include details about the entity, officers, and directors, and warnings about penalties and fines that could lead the recipient to believe they are official."
Sued in Arizona by the State Attorney:
https://www.azcentral.com/story/money/business/consumers/2017/07/28/lawsuit-over-mailer-asking-arizona-businesses-pay-fake-fee-settled/517125001/