California UCC statement request form scam - how to verify legitimate filings

This is definitely a scam operation. I see these all the time in my practice. Legitimate UCC searches in California cost like $15-20 through the Secretary of State, not $95. These companies pull public filing information and send official-looking letters to business owners trying to trick them into paying inflated fees for basic search services.

I fell for something similar last year - paid $89 for what turned out to be a basic UCC search I could have done myself for $15. The "service" was just pulling public records and mailing them to me. Total waste of money but lesson learned. You can do your own UCC search directly through the California Secretary of State website.

If you're concerned about fraudulent filings, there are better ways to verify your UCC status. I actually discovered Certana.ai recently when I needed to cross-check some filing documents. You can upload your business formation docs and any UCC filings to verify everything matches up properly - catches name mismatches and inconsistencies that could indicate problems. Way more useful than just paying for basic search results.

I've been getting these scam letters for YEARS. Different company names but always the same basic pitch - pay us $75-$100 for UCC information you can get yourself for under $20. The letters are designed to look like official government correspondence. Pure predatory business practice.

For anyone reading this - here's how to do a legitimate UCC search in California: Go to the Secretary of State website, navigate to UCC search, enter your business name, pay the actual fee (around $15), get your results. Don't pay third parties unless you need complex legal analysis of the filings.

I actually called the number on one of these letters to see what they'd say. The person couldn't give me any information about why I specifically needed this service or what made it different from a regular UCC search. Just kept pushing the $95 fee. Major red flag.

Report these to the California Attorney General's office if you haven't already. They have a consumer protection division that tracks these kinds of scams. Won't help you personally but might help shut them down or at least get warnings posted.

Just to add some perspective - while these letters are scammy, it's not a bad idea to periodically check for UCC filings against your business. Especially if you've had equipment loans, lines of credit, or other secured debt. Better to know what's on file than be surprised later.

The worst part about these scams is they make people paranoid about legitimate UCC filings. I've had clients panic because they got one of these letters and thought someone had filed fraudulent liens against their business.

Thanks everyone for the warnings. I'm definitely not paying this company and will report them to the AG's office. Going to do my own UCC search through the state website to make sure everything looks normal. Appreciate all the advice!

As someone who's worked in business compliance for years, I want to emphasize how common these UCC scam letters are. The companies behind them often use names that sound official like "UCC Filing Services" or "Business Records Division" to trick people into thinking they're government agencies. What's particularly sneaky is they'll include your actual business registration details in the letter to make it seem legitimate. The key red flag is always the inflated fee - legitimate state UCC searches rarely cost more than $20-25. If you're ever unsure about a letter like this, call your Secretary of State's office directly to verify whether it's from them or a third party.

I received one of these exact scam letters last month and almost fell for it! The letterhead looked so official and they had all my business details correct. What really made me suspicious was when I called to ask why I suddenly needed this service - they couldn't give me a straight answer about what specific problem they were solving. Turns out I could do the same UCC search myself on the California Secretary of State website for $15. These companies are basically charging $95 for something that takes them 5 minutes to pull from public records. It's infuriating how they target business owners who are just trying to stay on top of their legal obligations.

I just want to thank everyone for this incredibly helpful discussion! I'm relatively new to running a business and received one of these exact letters last week. The $95 fee seemed steep but I was genuinely worried about missing something important with my UCC filings. Reading all your experiences has saved me from a costly mistake. I'm definitely going to do the search myself through the Secretary of State website for the actual $15 fee instead. It's amazing how these scam companies make their letters look so official - they even had my exact business formation date and entity type correct. I'm also going to report this to the California Attorney General's office like several of you suggested. This thread should be required reading for new business owners!

I'm a new business owner and this thread has been incredibly eye-opening! I haven't received one of these scam letters yet, but now I know exactly what to look for. The advice about checking directly with the California Secretary of State website for $15 instead of paying these inflated $95 fees is so valuable. I'm bookmarking this discussion and the official SOS website so I'm prepared if one of these scam letters shows up in my mailbox. It's really concerning how sophisticated these operations have become - using official-looking letterhead and including correct business details to trick people. Thank you all for sharing your experiences and saving fellow business owners from falling victim to these predatory practices!

Just wanted to add my experience as someone who runs a small consulting firm - I've been getting these UCC scam letters for about 3 years now, and they've gotten increasingly sophisticated. The latest one I received actually included a fake "urgency notice" claiming I had 30 days to respond or face potential compliance issues. What's particularly insidious is they often time these letters to arrive right after major business milestones like loan applications or new client contracts, when you're already thinking about your business filings. I've started keeping a folder of these scam letters to show other business owners in my network what to watch out for. The dead giveaway is always the fee structure - any "service" charging $75-$100 for basic public record searches is taking advantage of business owners who don't realize how accessible this information actually is through official channels.

I've been dealing with these exact same scam letters for my small business! What really helped me was creating a simple checklist: 1) Any "UCC service" charging over $25 is probably a scam, 2) Real government agencies don't send unsolicited letters demanding payment, 3) Always verify directly with the Secretary of State before paying anything. I also discovered that legitimate UCC searches through California SOS not only cost less but give you the same exact information these companies provide. The most frustrating part is how they prey on responsible business owners who are just trying to stay compliant. I've reported three different variations of these letters to the CA Attorney General over the past year - hopefully enough complaints will eventually shut down some of these operations.

As a newcomer to this community, I'm really grateful for this comprehensive discussion! I just started my LLC a few months ago and received one of these exact letters last week. The $95 fee seemed reasonable since I thought it was coming from the state, but the timing felt suspicious - it arrived just days after I applied for a business credit card. Reading everyone's experiences here has been incredibly educational. I had no idea these scam operations were so widespread or sophisticated. I'm definitely going to do the legitimate search through the California Secretary of State website for $15 instead, and I'll be much more cautious about any "official" business correspondence going forward. This thread should honestly be required reading for every new business owner in California!

As a newcomer to this community and small business ownership, this thread has been incredibly eye-opening! I just received one of these exact scam letters yesterday for my recently formed LLC. The $95 fee and official-looking letterhead almost had me convinced it was legitimate, especially since they included my correct business formation details. After reading everyone's experiences here, I'm definitely not paying it and will do the search myself through the California SOS website for the actual $15 fee. What's particularly disturbing is how these companies seem to specifically target new business owners who are still learning about compliance requirements. I'm going to report this to the Attorney General's office and keep the letter as evidence. Thank you all for sharing your experiences and saving me from falling for this scam! This discussion should be pinned as essential reading for anyone starting a business in California.

As a newcomer to both this community and business ownership, I want to thank everyone for this incredibly detailed discussion! I just received one of these scam letters two days ago for my new consulting business and was genuinely concerned about missing some important filing requirement. The letter looked so official with my exact business details that I was ready to pay the $95 fee just to be safe. Reading through all these experiences has been a huge relief and education. It's shocking how these companies systematically target new business owners who are still figuring out compliance requirements. I'm definitely going to do the legitimate search through the California Secretary of State website for $15 instead, and I'll be reporting this scam letter to the Attorney General's office. The advice about creating a checklist to identify future scams is particularly helpful - I'm going to implement that immediately. This thread has saved me money and stress, and I hope it continues to help other new business owners avoid these predatory practices!