Small business owners in Illinois are receiving official looking green or blue envelopes from “Corporate Records Services,” which call them to provide corporate and personal information, such as the business name, address and credit card information with the payment of $125 to prepare corporate records.  With the scam looking official, small business owners are sending in money because it refers to applicable sections of the Corporation Act.  The notice has a prominent “respond by” date and displays a disclaimer.
Corporate Records Services is not a government office or agency and is not affiliated with the Illinois Secretary of State. This is a private company that probably bought the Illinois Secretary of State’s corporation mailing list or extracted the business names and addresses from its website and targets the small companies.  Companies’ owners often think that they are filing their annual reports and send the requested information along with the money.  Later, such companies realize that their $125 were used for pay for the “form resolutions.”  The companies still have to file their annual reports and pay the applicable fees.  The companies should disregard such mailings and respond only onto the annual report notices received from the Illinois Secretary of State.

 

 

 


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