Don’t get taken in by this common scam

Does this document look familiar to you? It might if you are a Connecticut business. At first glance, it looks like a real government form asking you to pay the Connecticut Secretary of State to file your Annual Report and renew your LLC, LP, or LLP. On closer inspection, it is actually a third party charging more than twice the state filing fee.

Companies like this have been pulling scams like this for years, under different names made to sound like government agencies or departments.

Unsuspecting business owners fill out the form and write the check in an effort to comply in a timely manner. But a look at the fine print often gives clues that all is not above board. There is usually information poorly copied from the government entity website, an acknowledgment that this is a third party not affiliated with the government, and sometimes a blatant lack of guarantee that the organization will actually file on your behalf!

Your best bet is to file yourself each year online. If you are registered with the Connecticut Secretary of State, you will receive an email reminder. If you are not sure what your Annual Report status is, you can search for it on the state’s website. And if you are looking to start a business, we can advise and assist with business formation, contract drafting and negotiation, and business asset transactions and succession planning. Contact us today for a consultation.