BBB is warning businesses about misleading mailings they may receive from
Compliance Services, a business based in Boston, MA. Several states, including Massachusetts, Georgia, Ohio and Indiana, have issued warnings regarding the business’ deceptive mailings. Compliance Services has an F Rating from BBB.
“BBB encourages business owners to do some research on any solicitations they receive that ask for payment – even if the document looks official,” says Paula Fleming, vice president of communications and marketing for BBB. “Don’t provide business information or a payment until you have completely checked out the offer and organization. It is not uncommon for scammers to try and make a letter appear to be mailed from a government or state agency. Unless you read the fine print, you could easily be misled.”
Compliance Services has sent mailings to local businesses titled “Annual Minutes Requirement Statement Directors and Shareholders” and offers to complete corporate meeting minutes for a $125 fee.
According to Massachusetts Secretary of State William Francis Galvin, Massachusetts corporations are not required by law to file corporate minutes with the State of Massachusetts. Any official statement or request from the Office of the Secretary of State will clearly indicate its origin and include the name of William Francis Galvin.
BBB has received complaints from local businesses regarding this scam. The mailings appear to be in a similar format as forms sent from the Office of the Secretary of State and include a Massachusetts Corporation Number. The letter will include a disclaimer in fine print stating that Compliance Services is not affiliated with any government agency, but many businesses are misled since the document looks official.
Business owners who believe that they have been victims of this scam should contact the Secretary of State at 617-727-9640 or visit
www.sec.state.ma.us. You can also
file a complaint with BBB and the
Attorney General’s Office.
For additional information and advice you can trust as a business owner, start with
bbb.org.
