The Pennsylvania Department of State has issued notices regarding two separate scams being circulated to Pennsylvania businesses. The most recent scam relates to post card solicitations being mailed from a phony company named the “Business Compliance Division.” These solicitations urge companies to contact them immediately at (855) 530-2615 to obtain a “Certificate of Existence” with a credit card payment of $100 to avoid potential fees and penalties. These fraudulent notices further advise businesses that a failure to obtain this Certificate of Existence, will result in non-compliance with “Commonwealth regulations governing new enterprises.”
The second scam being reported relates to solicitations being mailed from a company calling itself “Pennsylvania Council for Corporations.” These solicitations instruct businesses to file information and send a $125 payment by a certain date in order to maintain proper records.
Should you receive any of these solicitations in the mail, please be aware that there is no legal requirement to obtain a Certificate of Existence or make any payments to these companies to maintain compliance with Pennsylvania law. These notices have been confirmed to be scams and should be disregarded. If you receive any communication and have questions regarding its legitimacy, you may contact the Pennsylvania Department of State at (717) 787-1057 or contact Fitzpatrick Lentz & Bubba, P.C. at (610) 797-9000 and speak with our corporate paralegal, Stacie R. Heinen.
This blog post has been prepared and published for informational purposes only. None of its content should be construed as or relied upon as legal advice. Therefore, no one should act or refrain from acting based on its content. The content is not a substitute for competent legal advice. For legal advice or answers to specific questions, please contact one of our attorneys. Information provided by our attorneys should only be considered legal advice after a formal attorney-client relationship has been established with our law firm and you and confirmed in writing by one of our attorneys.
