Tennessee Secretary of State Tre Hargett has issued a new warning about a deceptive mail scam involving annual business reports on the rise across Tennessee.
As part of the scam, businesses receive an official-looking mailer from a third party called Tennessee Business Filing Center. Wording on the mail piece threatens recipients with additional fees and business dissolution if they do not file their reports through the Tennessee Business Filing Center before the April 1 deadline.
Businesses are indeed required to complete annual renewals with the state by April 1 each year, however, all business owners should be wary of any correspondences that attempt to look like they are from the State of Tennessee.
Entities needing to file annual reports can do so online through the Secretary of State’s Tennessee Charity and Business Filing System.
You can contact the Division of Business and Charitable Organizations to report suspicious activity by calling (615) 741-2286.