Ohio companies beware! Scammers are at it again with false post filing requirements.

Submitted by UCS on June 18, 2019

White Plains, NY June 18, 2019 – A company by the name of OH Certificate Service is sending letters to recently created Ohio companies congratulating them for registering with the Secretary of State. Also, in this letter they include instructions to complete a request form for a Certificate of Good Standing and in order to receive your Certificate of Good Standing you must include a check in the amount of $67.50. This request should be disregarded for the following reasons:

• Only the Ohio Secretary of State can issue a Certificate of Good Standing. OH Certificate Service is not affiliated with the Ohio Secretary of State and they even indicate on their form that they are not a government agency.
• The Ohio Secretary of State will never instruct you to obtain a Certificate of Good Standing.
• Once your company is registered, the Ohio Secretary of State issues a filed stamped copy that evidences the filing. They will not issue a Certificate of Good Standing unless you request it directly from them.

Note that all correspondences that are produced by the Ohio Secretary of State will contain their seal.

The correspondence should also contain the Secretary of State’s address and the phone number of the department who issued the notice.

If you receive a letter asking or even demanding that you either provide information or money, it should be investigated for legitimacy. You can contact the Ohio Secretary of State or your registered agent for more information.

While there are legitimate reasons for needing to have a Certificate of Good Standing on hand (opening a bank account), it should not be ordered without a purpose in mind. Many financial institutions and Secretaries of State require a Certificate of Good Standing as proof of existence but they will only accept a certificate that is dated for a specified period of time. For e.g., a good standing that is over a year old will probably not be accepted since the company’s status might change within that year for e.g., the company may not be in good standing or exist due to withdrawal or dissolution.

Please pay especially close attention to notifications or solicitations received on your company’s behalf that are delivered by the Ohio Secretary of State or your registered agent.

About United Corporate Services, Inc.

United Corporate Services, Inc. was founded in 1970 and is a leading provider for a full range of corporate, UCC and registered agent services. Corporations and law firms nationwide and abroad trust us because we are a customer-driven company who is committed to meeting their varied needs with efficiency and attention to detail. As a result we have earned a long standing reputation for reliability.
For more information about United Corporate Services, visit our website at https://www.unitedcorporate.com/