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S.C. Secretary of State warns of ongoing scam

Staff Report //April 26, 2021//

S.C. Secretary of State warns of ongoing scam

Staff Report //April 26, 2021//

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S.C. Secretary of State Mark Hammond is warning businesses about scams offering to sell bogus documents and certified copies.

In March, Hammond’s office began receiving complaints about letters from SC Certificate Service purporting to provide “South Carolina Certificates of Status” for $87.25. Hammond’s office is now receiving additional complaints about an entity called Division of Corporate Services, or D.O.C.S., selling certified copies of articles of organization for $79.25.

“Businesses and consumers need to know that neither of these entities are connected with the Secretary of State’s office, and that they are not required to respond to these solicitations in order to conduct business in our state,” Hammond said in a news release.

The “South Carolina Certificate of Status” scam purports to sell businesses a phony document that is not issued by the Secretary of State’s office and serves no legitimate purpose in verifying a business’s good standing in South Carolina. The “Division of Corporate Services” solicitation offers to act as an intermediary between the consumer and the Secretary of State’s office to obtain certified copies. 

Customers can obtain certified copies from the Secretary of State’s office at $3 for the first page and 50 cents for each additional page, Hammond said. 

“I ask that anyone receiving a solicitation offering to provide business documents to contact the Secretary of State’s office so that we may forward it to law enforcement,” Hammond said. “The Secretary of State’s office will never send unsolicited correspondence to businesses for the purpose of selling certificates of existence or certified copies. Moreover, businesses can obtain certified copies and certificates of existence directly through the Secretary of State’s website for minimal fees.  These solicitations are a blatant scheme to separate businesses from of their hard-earned money for no legitimate purpose.”   

Businesses may report a suspicious solicitation at [email protected]. The Business Filings Division can be reached at (803) 734-2158 or through the Secretary of State’s website at sos.sc.gov

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