Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum and Secretary of State Kate Brown reached an agreement on Monday with Annual Business Services, which allegedly sent out solicitation mailings appearing to be from the state of Oregon.
As part of the settlement, the company has agreed to stop sending the mailings and will reimburse businesses affected by the alleged scam.
“Deceptive marking practices from an out-of-state company that disguise themselves as official notices from the state of Oregon will not be tolerated,” Rosenblum said. “The secretary of state and I are taking a strong stand to stop these fraudulent companies from confusing Oregon businesses.”
Oregon business owners allegedly received mailings from Annual Business Services that read "2014-Annual Minutes Form." The solicitation form was often mistaken for official documentation from the state.
Businesses are required to maintain records of minutes, but are not required to report them to the state. The Florida company listed an Oregon return address on its mailings.
“Protecting Oregon businesses from predatory scammers is a top priority,” Brown said. “I’m very pleased with the Department of Justice’s resolution of this case.”
All official state correspondences from Brown's office will have an Oregon state seal, the words "Secretary of State Corporate Division" and the phone number 503-986-2200.