FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 29, 2022

Secretary Bellows Warns of Misleading Corporation and Non-Profit Solicitations

AUGUSTA — Secretary of State Shenna Bellows is warning Maine corporations and non-profits to watch out for a misleading solicitation they may have received in the mail which offer to file annual reports on their behalf, for a $195 fee.

“Scammers like these are trying to make a quick buck by scaring people into thinking they need assistance to enter the same pieces of information on this paper form that they could just wait a couple months to do for themselves online.” said Secretary Bellows. “I know small business owners and nonprofit directors are just trying to do the right thing, but they should be wary of any solicitation that includes the common tactic of urgent action for something they’ve always done themselves, without paying another entity an unnecessary extra hundred dollars.”

The Division of Corporations does not mail out the annual report form, making the form available online instead.

The misleading solicitation form is from an organization identified as C.F.S. and looks similar to the Maine Secretary of State Department’s Division of Corporations' annual report form, but it is neither authorized nor recognized by the Maine Department of the Secretary of State, and this mailing does not come from the Department’s Division of Corporations. Maine corporations have received similar solicitations in recent years from entities operating under various names.

The 2023 annual report is not available until January 2023. At that time, the updated form will be available online https://apps1.web.maine.gov/cgi-bin/online/aro/index.pl and corporate entities will have until the deadline of June 1, 2023 to complete the report filing with the Secretary of State’s office. The annual report filing fee for established domestic business entities is $85, nonprofit corporations is $35 and foreign business entities is $150.

Any corporation that has questions about the solicitation they received is encouraged to obtain advice from a lawyer or business advisor. In addition, those with questions about corporate annual report or other business entity filing requirements can contact the Maine Division of Corporations at (207) 624-7752.