Email system will notify businesses when private companies send out documents that appear to be official and provide warnings about fraudulent activity
Louisiana Secretary of State Tom Schedler is promoting a new warning system for businesses after some corporations in the state received letters from a company that appeared to be official government documents. The email system will notify businesses when private companies are sending out documents that appear to be official and provide warnings about fraudulent activity, Schedler said in a news release Friday.
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Louisiana Secretary of State Tom Schedler
"I am truly excited about the use of email notifications by our Commercial Division to protect Louisiana business owners," Schedler said. "The system is efficient, timely and has been well-received by those who have subscribed. They honestly appreciate the heads up."
The release was sent out after some businesses received solicitations from Corporate Records Service offering to file companies' annual minutes with the Secretary of State's office. The forms look similar to a government document and the company charges $125 for the service. Filing the forms with the company, however, does not satisfy the Secretary of State's Office requirements for annual renewals, which cost $25.
Similar solicitations have been sent out by Louisiana Corporate Compliance Business Services and Corporate Compliance Company in the past year, according to the Secretary of State's Office.
This type of solicitation prompted a a new law, which went into effect last year, requiring that companies sending documents that could be seen as official correspondence include a large disclaimer explaining that it is a private solicitation. The Corporate Research Service letter does not include that disclaimer.
The Secretary of State's Office has alerted the Attorney General's Office about the letters from Corporate Records Service.
Businesses can sign up for the email system through the Secretary of State's website at www.sos.la.gov. The email system also provides alerts when a company's record is changed, when annual reports are late or a business falls out of compliance.
Schedler encouraged businesses interested in more information on the program to contact his office's Commercial Division at 225.925.4704 or commercial@sos.la.gov.
