Description

I received a letter titled "Certificate of Status Request Form" from a company called Business Resource Center. The letter claimed that in order to complete my LLC registration in California, and to validate the articles I filed with the Secretary of State, I needed to fill out their form and send a payment of $87.25 to ensure my details were correct. It stated that this certificate would be required for obtaining loans, renewing business licenses, or fulfilling tax and other business requirements. The letter closely mimics the appearance of an official government document, which is extremely misleading and stressful—especially for new business owners. Only in fine print does it disclose that "This is not a government agency." A quick search of their listed address reveals it’s actually a UPS Store in San Francisco, and no email contact is provided. Additionally, they sent a second letter requesting $135 for a labor law poster—something that is available for free online. Both letters used the same document number, further raising suspicion. This kind of deceptive practice is not only unethical but potentially harmful to new entrepreneurs.