Corporate minute scammers target Illinois corporations

If you are a registered agent for an Illinois corporation, you may have received a notice in the mail from a company called “Corporate Records Service” offering to prepare annual minutes for a fee of $125.  Because I am a registered agent for many of my clients’ companies, I have seen it.  The paperwork they send looks “official”. 

The Illinois Secretary of State is warning about this “statewide corporate scam“.  They report that they are “investigating this deceptive business practice” and the Secretary of state recommends that “corporations do not reply to the solicitation”.

If you look closely at the paperwork, the company is offering to prepare annual corporate minutes and the form collects the information necessary to do that.  In small “disclaimer” language, the form informs consumers that they still need to file their annual report.  However, because the form resembles an official document and asks for similar information, many corporation registered agents could be confused thinking the state is employing a new form.

If you have questions about your annual report or if you are looking for assistance with an Illinois Registered Agent, please feel free to give us a call and we can see if we are a match for an engagement.