Is that official certificate legit?
Our Corporation Divisions has discovered (yet again) that at least two online investment companies are posting phony “certificates” on their sites that claim they are registered with our office – but careful inspection shows these made-up docs actually display another company’s UBI number! And the investment companies aren’t anywhere in our databases!
It’s pretty clear these businesses are trying to pull the wool over somebody’s eyes. We’ve referred the case to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center, but also make sure we take this opportunity to educate our customers.
What can we learn from all this? When it comes to investing your money, make sure the company you are working with has their paperwork in order – and that it is REAL paperwork. It is super easy to confirm what a company tells you by going to www.sos.wa.gov/corps . You can check to see if its registration is in order. You can always call a friendly Corps team member at 360-725-0377 if you want to double check the status of a corporation.
We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again: CHECK BEFORE YOU GIVE!