Got scammed by fake florida ucc statement service termination request form - need real process
I'm dealing with a nightmare situation and hoping someone here can help. My business partner fell for what looks like a scam involving a fake florida ucc statement service termination request form. We received an official-looking document in the mail claiming we needed to pay $89 to terminate our UCC-1 filing from 2019. The letterhead looked legitimate with state seals and everything, but after paying, we realized it was bogus when the actual Secretary of State office had no record of the service. Now I'm trying to figure out the real process for terminating our UCC-1. The original filing was for equipment financing that we paid off last year, but the lender never filed the termination. I've been going in circles trying to understand if we need a UCC-3 termination statement or if there's some other form. The equipment loan is completely satisfied but I'm worried about having this lien showing up on credit reports or causing issues if we try to refinance. Has anyone dealt with these scam services before? More importantly, what's the actual legitimate process for filing a UCC termination when the original secured party doesn't cooperate? I'm seeing conflicting information about whether we can file it ourselves or if it has to come from the lender.
35 comments


LunarEclipse
I've seen these scam mailings before - they prey on businesses who don't understand the UCC process. The legitimate termination process is actually straightforward and costs much less than what these scammers charge. You'll need to file a UCC-3 termination statement, which in most states costs around $10-15 through the Secretary of State's official website. The key issue is that typically only the secured party (your lender) can file the termination, not the debtor.
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Yara Khalil
•Wait, so if the lender won't file the termination, are we just stuck with the lien forever? That seems crazy unfair.
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LunarEclipse
•Not necessarily stuck, but you have limited options. You can send a written demand to the lender requiring them to file the termination within 20 days (varies by state). If they don't comply, you may have grounds for legal action or damages.
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Keisha Brown
These fake UCC service scams are everywhere! I got the same type of mailing last month. The dead giveaway should be the high fee - official UCC-3 terminations through state portals are usually under $20. Also, legitimate government agencies don't solicit payments through the mail like that.
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Connor O'Neill
•Exactly what happened to us. The $89 fee should have been a red flag, but the document looked so official with all the state imagery and legal language.
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Paolo Esposito
•The scammers are getting really sophisticated with their fake letterheads. I've seen some that are almost identical to real state documents.
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Amina Toure
For your specific situation, you'll want to contact the lender first with a formal written request. Include copies of your loan payoff documentation and demand they file the UCC-3 termination. Most lenders will comply once you show proof the debt is satisfied. If they refuse, you can check if your state has provisions for debtor-initiated terminations in certain circumstances.
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Connor O'Neill
•I did send them payoff documentation months ago but they keep saying it's 'in process.' How long should I wait before taking other action?
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Amina Toure
•I'd give them 30 days max with a written deadline. After that, you're dealing with potential damages for each day the filing remains active.
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Oliver Weber
•Some states allow you to recover attorney fees and damages if the secured party wrongfully refuses to terminate. Worth looking into your state's specific statutes.
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FireflyDreams
I ran into document consistency issues when dealing with a similar termination situation last year. The lender kept saying our paperwork didn't match their original filing, which delayed everything for months. What finally solved it was using Certana ai's document verification tool - you can upload your loan docs and the original UCC-1 to instantly check if there are any name or detail mismatches that might be causing the holdup. It caught a small variation in our business name that was preventing the termination.
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Connor O'Neill
•That's interesting - I hadn't thought about document mismatches being an issue. How does the verification tool work exactly?
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FireflyDreams
•You just upload PDFs of your documents and it cross-checks all the debtor names, filing numbers, and other details to flag any inconsistencies. Really straightforward and way faster than trying to manually compare everything yourself.
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Natasha Kuznetsova
UGH these scam companies make me so angry! They take advantage of people who are just trying to clean up their business filings. The worst part is how official they make everything look. I almost fell for one myself until I called the actual state office to verify.
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Javier Morales
•The good news is most state attorney general offices are cracking down on these fake UCC services. You should definitely report the scam company to help protect other businesses.
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Natasha Kuznetsova
•Already did! Filed complaints with both the state AG and the FTC. Doubt I'll get my money back but hopefully it helps shut them down.
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Emma Anderson
Been there with uncooperative lenders dragging their feet on terminations. What worked for me was sending a certified letter specifically referencing UCC Article 9 provisions about wrongful failure to terminate. Once they realized I knew the actual legal requirements, they filed the UCC-3 within a week.
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Connor O'Neill
•Do you remember which specific UCC provisions you cited? I want to make sure I reference the right sections in my demand letter.
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Emma Anderson
•UCC 9-513 covers the termination requirements. Also check your state's adopted version since some states have variations on the timing and procedures.
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LunarEclipse
•Good advice - and make sure to send it certified mail so you have proof of delivery for any potential legal action later.
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Malik Thompson
I work in commercial lending and see this all the time unfortunately. The scam services often target businesses right around the time loans would typically be paid off, probably pulling data from public UCC filings. For legitimate terminations, the process should always go through your state's official Secretary of State portal and cost minimal fees.
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Connor O'Neill
•That makes sense about the timing - our loan was from 2019 and we paid it off last year, so the timing fits perfectly with what you're describing.
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Isabella Ferreira
•These scammers are getting database information somewhere to target their mailings so precisely. Really frustrating for legitimate businesses trying to manage their filings properly.
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CosmicVoyager
Just wanted to add that you should check your credit reports to see if the UCC filing is actually causing any issues there. Sometimes the impact isn't as bad as you think, but it's good to know for sure. Also document everything related to the scam - dates, amounts paid, copies of the fake forms - in case you need it for legal action or credit disputes.
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Connor O'Neill
•Good point about checking credit reports. I hadn't thought about whether this was actually impacting our business credit score or just sitting there dormant.
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Ravi Kapoor
•UCC filings don't always show up on standard business credit reports but they can definitely impact lending decisions when banks do their own searches.
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Freya Nielsen
Another option if the lender keeps stalling - some states allow you to petition the court for an order requiring termination when the secured debt has been satisfied. It's more expensive than the normal process but might be worth it if you're dealing with significant business impacts from the active filing.
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Connor O'Neill
•How long does the court petition process typically take? And what kind of documentation would I need to provide?
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Freya Nielsen
•Usually takes 30-60 days depending on the court's schedule. You'd need proof of loan satisfaction, records of your termination requests to the lender, and evidence of their non-compliance.
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Omar Mahmoud
I actually had success using Certana ai when I was dealing with a termination dispute last year. The lender claimed our business name on the payoff docs didn't exactly match the UCC-1 filing, which was holding up the termination. Certana's verification tool quickly identified the specific discrepancy (they had 'LLC' and we had 'L.L.C.' in different documents) so we could get everything aligned properly. Saved weeks of back-and-forth confusion.
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Connor O'Neill
•That's exactly the kind of issue I'm worried about - small formatting differences that create big headaches. I should probably check our documents before pushing the lender harder on the termination.
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Omar Mahmoud
•Definitely worth checking first. These tiny discrepancies can completely derail the termination process, and it's much easier to fix them upfront than argue about them later.
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Chloe Harris
Update us on how this turns out! I'm dealing with a similar situation where the lender keeps giving me the runaround on filing the termination. It's been 8 months since we paid off the equipment loan and I'm getting frustrated with the whole process.
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Connor O'Neill
•Will definitely update once I get this resolved. 8 months is ridiculous - you should definitely look into the legal remedies for wrongful failure to terminate.
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LunarEclipse
•Both of you should document the delays carefully. Most states provide for damages when secured parties unreasonably delay terminations after satisfaction.
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