The attorney general and secretary of the state are warning businesses about what they say is an illegitimate business mailing that tells companies they must pay a fee to obtain a document that companies are not actually required to have.
Attorney General William Tong and Secretary of the State Denise Merrill said in a statement Tuesday that the mailing from a company that calls itself CT Certificate Service suggests that Connecticut businesses must pay it a fee of $112.50 to obtain copies of a "Connecticut Certificate of Existence." A certificate of existence is not a required document in Connecticut, state officials said and a business in need of one can request it online from the Secretary of the State by going to www.concord-sots.ct.gov for a fee.
State officials said the mailing also misrepresents that a business owner should order the Certificate of Existence because the document supposedly proves that a business "complies with all state requirements."
The document, in reality, shows only that a company is active and up-to-date with its annual report filing, according to Tong and Merrill.
Officials said the illegitimate mailing comes in an envelope that marked "IMPORTANT – OPEN IMMEDIATELY" and "BUSINESS MAIL – TIME SENSITIVE," in order to create a false sense of urgency.
The envelope lists a West Hartford address, which is actually a private mailbox service, state officials warn. They said CT Certificate Service appears to be a fictitious name used by a company based in Saint Petersburg, Florida.
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"CT Certificate of Service has no affiliation with the State of Connecticut and this is not a legitimate mailing. If you have received this letter or sent money to this company, I want to hear from you," Tong said in a statement.
"A certificate of legal existence is an optional document that you may request from our office that confirms that your business is active and current with annual report filing obligations,” Merrill said in a statement. “There is no legal requirement for any business to obtain a certificate of legal existence, or to pay the inflated fee indicated. If you are ever unsure about the legitimacy of a business filing notice you receive, please contact my office at 860-509-6003 or email us at crd@ct.gov. We are ready and eager to help any Connecticut business owner."
If your business paid CT Certificate Service in response to the “2019 CERTIFICATE OF EXISTENCE REQUEST FORM,” state officials urge you to file a complaint with the Office of the Attorney General at attorney.general@ct.gov and include a copy of the mailing.
