Washington AG Bob Ferguson: Scam alert: Fraudulent Secretary of State notices targeting Washington small businesses
Since early November, the Attorney General’s Office has received at least 40 complaints about these letters, which ask for payments to be sent to “State of Washington Business Entities.”
OLYMPIA — Attorney General Bob Ferguson is warning of a scammer posing as the Secretary of State’s Office targeting Washington small businesses. The scam letters demand payment well beyond the cost of state business filings, and threaten business owners with fines or dissolution of their business for failing to comply. The Secretary of State has also received reports of similar telephone scams targeting Latino businesses, where they were also threatened with jail.
Since early November, the Attorney General’s Office has received at least 40 complaints about these letters, which ask for payments to be sent to “State of Washington Business Entities.”
“Scammers can be sophisticated, but don’t be fooled,” Ferguson said. “Be on the lookout for signs of a scam. If you think you’ve been the target of a scam, contact my office.”
The letters, which include the Washington state seal, are designed to look like official government communications. In addition to demanding excessive fees, they threaten late fees or penalties for failing to pay in a timely manner. One example showed a “billing summary” of more than $200 for filings that are either unnecessary or could be done directly with the Secretary of State for much less.