Secretary of State Alison Lundergan Grimes, Kentucky’s chief business officer, is warning businesses about an official-looking “2015 Annual Minutes Form” they may receive from an entity called Division of Corporate Services. Division of Corporate Services is not registered, affiliated or associated with the Secretary of State’s office.
Several Kentucky businesses have reported receiving the form, which instructs recipients to provide information regarding shareholders, corporate directors and officers and pay a $150.00 fee. Similar solicitations have been sent in previous years to businesses in Kentucky and other states.
“Businesses should exercise caution before providing information or payment to any entity that makes misleading claims or requests, like Division of Corporate Service has done here,” said Grimes. “I encourage anyone with questions about their official business filing obligations to contact my office directly.”
All entities authorized to transact business in Kentucky must file an annual report with the Secretary of State’s office and pay a $15 filing fee no later than June 30.
Grimes recently issued a warning about a similar business scam entitled “Notice of Potential Compliance Violation” that many Kentucky entities received from Business Compliance Division. That Notice prompted businesses to pay $70 to apply for a Certificate of Existence. However, an official certificate of existence is available from the Secretary of State’s office for a fee of only $10.
(story provided by Kentucky Secretary of State)
