Victim Location 65804
Type of a scam Government Agency Imposter
This came to us in the mail. My & my husband’s business is Itty & Boo’s Pipe Emporium and we sell tobacco pipes. We got this letter in the mail about paying $63.75 to be accredited. They used the name Missouri Certificate Services and said they were at 2000 E Broadway Suite 242 Columbia, MO and can be reached at [email protected] . I called the ScamPulse.com to see if this was a legitimate organization. It is not.
Victim Location 95618
Type of a scam Government Agency Imposter
Recently filed an EIN and got an LLC. Received an imposter document asking for $77.25 to file a certificate of status. Absolutely an advertisement seeking money without clearly stating that on their documents. Watch out!
Victim Location 94112
Type of a scam Worthless Problem-solving Service Scam
Just filed my LLC papers and the very next week, received the very convincing 2020 Certificate of Status Request Form. I was happy at first until I noticed the fine print "This is not a government agency". I am grateful that the scammers included that notice because it inspired me to do a little more research and found I am not alone. For $77.25, the CA Certificate Service will send me a certificate I dont need but could get from the State for $5.00.
Thanks but no thanks, CCS.
Victim Location 92019
Type of a scam Government Agency Imposter
This fraudulent company requested $77.25 for a California Certificate of Status. It is not affiliated with the Secretary of State.
Victim Location 95762
Type of a scam Government Agency Imposter
Thank you ScamPulse.com and the others here who have reported and provided information on this "business."
The reason I decided to add my experience is because after doing some digging, it appears this person owns several LLCs in different states doing the same thing – trying to provide a "service" of filing a request for a Certificate of Status. For new business owners like myself learning the ropes and wading through all the paperwork and compliance measures, this is a fairly legitimate looking form…luckily my LegalZoom packet included a serious message to be on the lookout for scams (shout out to LegalZoom!). So when this arrived in the mail I went straight to look it up online, and also quickly came across a fraud alert from the California Secretary of State website.
I see that the "business" responded to some of the complaints here by saying it uses the word "elective" – which I can verify it does say that once: "You have one step left in order to attain your elective California Certificate of Status." I give this person credit for being extra sneaky and mirroring a lot of the language that appears on other filing documents I’ve received "Congratulations…" "Your Articles have been filed with the Secretary of State…" "Confirm Business Name & Document Number are correct…"
It also does have "This is not a government agency" listed, which I gather might protect them legally in their Michigan case–unless they can be prosecuted for acting in bad faith. That said, this line about not being a government agency is in very, very small print, by far the smallest print on the page (I’d say it’s in 5 or 6 pt. font), and is situated in the position just above a dotted perforated line. As my brilliant wife pointed out, it could easily be overlooked (she couldn’t see it without her glasses) and auto-pilot/psychologically presumed to say what you would usually see in that font size on a bill: "Tear here along the perforated line."
After reviewing the document more closely (I’ve done work in typesetting and my wife as a postal carrier), there are many other small details and giveaways that it is not an official document after all. I’m not going to list them here so as not to contribute to them improving on their scheme. But the real kicker was that they are charging $77.25, when a certificate in California is $5. FIVE DOLLARS. I generally like to assume people are good and give them the benefit of the doubt, but in this case, this "business" is clearly meant to mislead and they are conducting themselves in obvious bad faith.
The legal action taken against this company in Michigan was in July 2019, and then the California LLC address was registered in September 2019 (which is the one that contacted me). I had the time and wits (and forewarnings) to have looked into this, but many people won’t.
Victim Location 95818
Type of a scam Fake Invoice/Supplier Bill
I recently filed for an LLC in the state of CA and was sent this fake bill for a LLC certificate. My CPA confirmed that this was a scam.