FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Friday, December 13, 2024

Watch Out for 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 $210 fee.

“Scammers will often try to seem legitimate and create a sense or urgency in order to separate a hardworking business owner or nonprofit director from their money,” said Secretary Bellows. “Any time you receive something unusual in the mail, take a second to check for signs that the request for payment may not be real. For example, this mailing listed a Gmail address for further assistance. As a governmental entity, the Corporations Division uses @maine.gov email addresses only.”

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. Information for entities included on the forms all comes from publicly available information.

The 2025 annual report is not available until January 2025. At that time, the updated form will be available online at https://apps1.web.maine.gov/cgi-bin/online/aro/index.pl (online filing) or https://apps1.web.maine.gov/online/aro/form_download.html (paper form). Corporate entities will have until the deadline of June 1, 2024 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 cec.corporations@maine.gov or (207) 624-7752.

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