Recently, corporations have received phony state agency documents requesting the completion of a form regarding their annual minutes and submission of $125. This is a scam! Compliance Services is not associated with the Massachusetts government and is merely a scamming entity that sends out documents that look similar to official statements. Many businesses have been conned into paying the fee as the form references, most likely because the form quotes a Massachusetts business statute.
This scam has also affected California and Florida businesses. Corporations are required to maintain reports for minutes, but are not required to pay to file them with any organization.
It is important to know what is required of businesses in order to stay in good standing with government agencies and especially what needs to be paid; this however is not a requirement!
If you have recently received a document in the mail that looks suspicious, contact your accountant’s office, they can help you determine if it is legitimate!
Below there is a link to view a sample of what these fraudulent documents look like, so you can be aware.