PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – The Washington State Attorney General's Office issued a warning on Thursday after receiving complaints of scammers posing as the state to demand money from small businesses.
The Attorney General's Office said scammers are sending letters to business owners, asking for payments for state business filings and are threatening business owners with fines, late fees, or dissolution of their businesses if they don’t comply.
Since November, the office has received at least 40 complaints about the letters, which ask for the payments to be sent to “State of Washington Business Entities.”
“Scammers can be sophisticated, but don’t be fooled,” Washington State Attorney General, and Governor-elect, Bob 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 include the State of Washington’s seal and Unified Business Identifier numbers in order to look like official government communications, officials said.
One letter featured a “billing summary” including over $200 for filings that are either unnecessary or could have been done with the Secretary of State’s Office for much less, the Washington Attorney General’s Office explained.
Officials urge Washingtonians to look for clues hinting that the letters are a scam. For example, one letter lists a Sacramento, California address on its letterhead for the Washington Secretary of State. Additionally, a QR code on the letter directs business owners to a website ending in ".org" as opposed to the real Secretary of State’s website which ends in ".gov."
The office said it has also received reports of a similar telephone scam with callers targeting Latino businesses and threatening jail time.
Business owners who receive these letters are urged to contact the Washington Secretary of State’s office to inquire about the status of business filings. Washingtonians who already submitted a payment to a potential scammer are also encouraged to stop the payment through their financial institution.
