Since the Corporate Transparency Act took effect on January 1, 2024, scammers have seized the opportunity to send notices to owners of recently formed companies offering “filing services.” In response to these scams, FinCEN posted an alert on the Beneficial Ownership Information homepage stating, “FinCEN has learned of fraudulent attempts to solicit information from individuals and entities who may be subject to reporting requirements under the Corporate Transparency Act.” The alert includes a list of warning signs to be aware of in these solicitation attempts, including requests for payment, URLs to click or QR codes to scan, official-sounding headings such as “Form 4022” or “Important Compliance Notice,” and references to entities like “US Business Regulations Department.”

The foregoing list is not exhaustive. Correspondence from scammers may be similar in appearance to legitimate notices from vendors or government agencies. It may include accurate information about the name, date, and jurisdiction of the formation of an entity. Recipients of such correspondence should remember:

• FinCEN will not send unsolicited requests for information.
• There is no charge for filing a BOI report on the FinCEN portal. Legitimate third-party service providers may provide filing services for a fee, but such providers do not solicit beneficial ownership information or payment via mailed notices.
• URLs and QR codes are a surefire sign that the correspondence is not legitimate. 

We urge you not to respond to any notice purporting to collect information for CTA filings. If you are unsure whether a notice you receive is fraudulent, please contact a trusted professional.