UCC-1 SCAM WARNING
DO NOT PAY THE INVOICE!!
Pays your Fee,
You do not.
Clients are being solicited by fake UCC1 filing fee letters across the United States.
An official-looking mailer from “STATE UCC Statement Service” incorrectly implies that businesses or individuals need a copy of the UCC-1 financing statement filed against them.
“Our Division of Business and Charitable Organizations and I were recently made aware of a new misleading mailer trying to take advantage of Tennesseans,” said Secretary Hargett. “The look and language used on this mailer tries to trick borrowers into paying an excessive amount for a document they will most likely never need.”
We encourage clients to be wary of any mailings they get from third-party companies that say they will work with my office on your behalf. These organizations are not affiliated with or authorized by the state government in any way. They are charging excessive amounts for something you likely will never need and, if you do, can be easily obtained through NCS
Sample notice of the scam recognized by State AG:
Link: North Carolina Sample
Link: North Carolina Sample
Link: Tennessee Sample
These fake UCC1 filing fee notices (see below) are being seen across the country, and have been going on for years.
The Uniform Commercial Code (UCC) is a comprehensive set of laws governing sales and other commercial transactions. A UCC-1 financing statement is a legal form that a creditor files to give notice that it has the right to take possession of and sell certain assets belonging to the debtor for the repayment of a specific debt. UCC-1 financing statements are common in Tennessee, with the Secretary of State’s Division of Business and Charitable Organizations issuing around 200,000 each year.
The scam mailer, with your state name on it, continues with “UCC Statement Request Form” tries to get victims to pay fees from $90 and up for the UCC Statement Service to request a copy of the UCC-1 financing statement on behalf of the debtor. The mailer implies that the recipient needs a copy of the UCC-1 financing statement, which you don’t.
Businesses and individuals that do want a copy of a UCC-1 financing statement can request one directly from NCS by visiting: https://www.ncscredit.com/contact-us/
How to Recognize a Fake UCC1 Letter:
- If emailed, sent by Gmail account, not a website
- The website doesn't exist: UCCStatements.com
- you can find the EXACT same fake form online and reported by others as being a scam
- if you lookup bottom address, you will find BBB "F" rating about a fake business at that location
- Google Search the address further, and it links to yet another non existent site: http://certificatefilingservice.com
Example Fake UCC1 Fee Notice
