Unscrupulous individuals search public business listings to find business owners to scam. They will send you letters that, at first glance, appear to be official forms from your state, but are actually solicitations. Often these scams include offering state issued documents you may not need, including various certificates, for fees that are marked up significantly from what the state would charge you.
The secret to identifying what is legitimate and what is a scam?
Read the letter.
The letters will often include text saying that it is a solicitation from a private, for-profit business that is not affiliated with any state agency.
Another give away is they want to you make a check payable to an entity other than a state agency that you are familiar with. They will choose a name for their business that is vague and generic (Example: Corporate Processing Service) and hope you don’t recognize that it’s not a state agency.
Not sure if a letter you received is a scam?
Try searching online for the supposed document they’re offering as well as other information on the letter. Is the document something your state offers at a lower fee? Is it a document you actually need? Often states are aware of these scams and will include warnings on their websites to help you tell legitimate communications from the state apart from scams.