Hartford, Conn. (WTIC) - The scam targets businesses across Connecticut and alleges a payment is required by state law regarding an annual filing report.
The letter, sent by a "corporation" under the name "Workplace Compliance Services", contains a fake annual report instruction form. In addition to sending a fake form, the letter also demands a highly inflated payment of up to $110.
Businesses registered with the state of Connecticut are required by law to file Annual Reports, but that is only with the Secretary of the State's office. Secretary of the State, Denise Merrill, says the letter is a complete and total scam and that business owners should contact her office if they receive the letter.
"There is no legal requirement for any business to file the form they received from Workplace Compliance Services, or to pay the inflated fee indicated," she said.
The Annual Report filing fee is $20, not the alleged 450% increase suggested by Workplace Compliance Services.
Secretary Merrill also stated the scam is mainly targeting small businesses (LLCs), which - according to her - makes sense.
"A lot of small businesses may not use professionals to prepare their paperwork every year," she said. "So I suppose they would be more likely to respond to something like this."
She said if you receive this bogus letter, or are ever unsure about the legitimacy of a business filing notice, you should contact her office by phone at 860-509-6003 or via email at crd@ct.gov.