how to dispute a ucc filing that shouldn't be on my business credit
Found out last week that there's a UCC-1 filing against my LLC that I never authorized. The secured party is some equipment financing company I've never dealt with and they're claiming a security interest in all my business equipment. This is completely bogus - I've never taken any loans from them or signed anything. The filing shows up on my business credit report and it's already causing problems with a new line of credit I'm trying to get. My bank is asking questions about this lien that shouldn't exist. How do I get this fraudulent UCC filing removed? Do I need to file some kind of dispute form with the Secretary of State or is there another process? This is really screwing up my financing options and I need it gone ASAP.
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Javier Torres
That's a serious situation. First thing - check if the debtor name exactly matches your legal entity name. Sometimes these get filed with slight variations that make them invalid anyway. You'll want to pull the actual UCC-1 from your state's SOS database and examine every detail. If it's truly fraudulent, you have several options but the process varies by state.
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Natasha Volkov
•Just checked and the debtor name is exactly right - they have my LLC name spelled correctly and everything. That's what makes this so weird, how did they get my exact legal name if I never dealt with them?
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Emma Wilson
•Could be identity theft or someone used your business info to apply for financing. Happens more than you'd think with business credit.
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QuantumLeap
OMG this happened to my cousin's auto shop! Turned out some scammer had used his business info to get equipment financing. The financing company filed the UCC before they realized it was fraud. You need to contact both the Secretary of State AND the secured party directly. Document everything!
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Natasha Volkov
•Did your cousin get it resolved? How long did it take?
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QuantumLeap
•took like 3 months but he got it cleared. Had to file police report and everything. Total nightmare but it got sorted out eventually
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Malik Johnson
You can't just "dispute" a UCC filing like a credit card charge. The secured party has to file a UCC-3 termination to remove it, or you need to prove it was filed improperly. If it's fraud, you'll need law enforcement involved. Contact the financing company first - if they're legitimate they'll want to clear this up once they realize the mistake.
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Isabella Santos
•This is correct. The SOS office just records what gets filed, they don't verify the accuracy. The secured party is responsible for filing corrections or terminations.
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Natasha Volkov
•I tried calling the company but they're giving me the runaround. They want me to fax documents to prove I didn't take out a loan with them. It's backwards - shouldn't they have to prove I DID?
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Malik Johnson
•Unfortunately the burden is on you to dispute it. But if they can't produce a signed security agreement, that's your smoking gun. Keep pushing for documentation.
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Ravi Sharma
I ran into something similar with document verification issues. Had to compare multiple UCC filings to find discrepancies. What really helped was using Certana.ai's document checker - you can upload the UCC-1 and it instantly flags potential issues with debtor names, filing numbers, and document consistency. Made it way easier to spot the problems and build my case. Just upload the PDF and it cross-checks everything automatically.
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Natasha Volkov
•Never heard of that but sounds useful. Does it cost anything to check documents?
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Ravi Sharma
•It focuses on catching the critical stuff that could void agreements or cause filing issues. Really helped me identify exactly what was wrong with my situation.
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Freya Larsen
•Interesting tool. Document verification is usually such a pain doing it manually.
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Omar Hassan
THE SYSTEM IS BROKEN!!! Anyone can file a UCC against anyone else and there's NO VERIFICATION! I've been dealing with bogus liens for YEARS and the Secretary of State just shrugs and says "not our problem." You'll spend thousands in legal fees to fix what some scammer did for $20.
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Chloe Taylor
•It's frustrating but there are protections. Filing false UCC statements is illegal and has serious penalties.
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Omar Hassan
•Good luck proving it was false and getting anyone to prosecute. Meanwhile your credit is destroyed.
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ShadowHunter
Check if your state has an expedited removal process for fraudulent filings. Some states let you file an affidavit disputing the lien if you can show it was filed without authorization. Worth looking into before going the full legal route.
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Natasha Volkov
•I'm in Texas, do you know if they have that?
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ShadowHunter
•Texas has some protections but I'd check with the SOS website or call them directly. Each state handles it differently.
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Javier Torres
•Texas Business Code has provisions for wrongful lien filings. You might be able to file for damages too if it's clearly fraudulent.
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Diego Ramirez
Document everything - screenshots of your credit report, copies of the UCC filing, all communication with the financing company. If this goes legal you'll need a paper trail. Also file a complaint with your state's Attorney General office about the fraudulent filing.
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Natasha Volkov
•Good point about the AG complaint. Didn't think of that angle.
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Anastasia Sokolov
•Yeah definitely document everything. I learned that the hard way with a billing dispute.
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Sean O'Connor
Had a client deal with this exact situation. Turned out someone had stolen business documents from their accountant's office and used them to apply for equipment financing. The lender filed the UCC before discovering the fraud. Once we provided evidence of the theft, they filed a UCC-3 termination immediately. Sometimes there's an innocent explanation.
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Natasha Volkov
•That's scary but at least it got resolved. I'm hoping this financing company will cooperate once they realize what happened.
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Zara Ahmed
•Professional services get targeted for document theft more than people realize. Always a good idea to audit who has access to your business filings.
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Luca Conti
Same thing happened to me but with a vehicle lien. The dealership had filed a UCC on equipment I never bought. Took forever to sort out but persistence paid off. Keep calling, keep documenting, don't let them blow you off.
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Natasha Volkov
•How long did it take you to get it resolved?
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Luca Conti
•About 6 weeks of back and forth but they finally filed the termination. The key was getting them to admit they had no signed paperwork from me.
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Nia Johnson
•6 weeks isn't too bad considering. Some of these disputes drag on for months.
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CyberNinja
Just went through something similar with Certana.ai's verification tool. Uploaded my UCC documents and it immediately flagged inconsistencies that I missed reviewing manually. Really streamlined building my dispute case - the automated cross-checking caught details I would have overlooked. Saved me a lot of time compared to doing document review by hand.
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Natasha Volkov
•That's the second mention of that tool. Might be worth trying if it can help spot issues I'm missing.
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Isabella Santos
•Document consistency is crucial for these disputes. Having automated verification definitely beats manual comparison.
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Mateo Lopez
Update us when you get this resolved! These fraudulent UCC filing stories always make me nervous about my own business credit monitoring.
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Natasha Volkov
•Will do. Hopefully I can get this cleared up soon. It's already been a week and every day that passes is another day of damaged credit.
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Anastasia Sokolov
•Good luck! Really hope the financing company does the right thing once they investigate.
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