Idaho businesses warned of scam mailings and ads

BOISE, Idaho (KIFI) - Attorney General Raúl Labrador and Secretary of State Phil McGrane are warning small businesses in Idaho about misleading ads. These scam ads offer business compliance filings like UCC statements and certificates of existence.

The mailings demand large fees. They look like government forms, but the fine print proves otherwise.

Idaho businesses almost never need the advertised documents. If they do need them in a rare case, they can get them directly from the Secretary of State.

Some of the mailings have Idaho addresses on them, but the companies are actually based in Florida. The Idaho addresses are not physical locations, but drop boxes.

Labrador says he has directed his Consumer Protection Division to investigate the scam mailings.

“Idaho’s small business owners shouldn’t have to deal with scams like these,” he said.

“Idaho is the friendliest state to start and maintain a business,” McGrane said. “We must look out for small businesses and hold scam artists accountable.”

If an Idaho business has lost money to a business compliance company, it can file a complaint here.

Examples of the scam mailings can be found here.