CHICAGO (Legal Newsline) - Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan has filed a lawsuit against a Michigan company that purported to have government affiliation in an attempt to con Illinois businesses into paying unnecessary fees.
Corporate Records Services allegedly sent direct mail solicitations to Illinois corporations in an effort to collect a $125 per-business fee for an Annual Minutes Records Form. The company purported to work on behalf of Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White's office. Illinois does not require corporations to fill out such a form or pay any fees related to record keeping.
"These bogus letters may look official, but companies in Illinois that receive them should promptly put them where they belong: in the garbage can, because neither the form nor the fee are required by Illinois law," Madigan said Tuesday.
Madigan and White's offices received dozens of complaints and hundreds of calls about the scam from Illinois corporations.
The lawsuit requests that the court ban Corporate Records Services from sending such solicitations and require the company to pay refunds to any corporations that paid fees to the firm. The suit also requests that the court assess civil penalties for alleged violations of the Illinois Consumer Fraud and Deceptive Business Practices Act.
Illinois AG files suit against Mich. company
