The Office of the Attorney General (“OAG”) issues this consumer alert to help ensure that Texans are not deceived by companies appearing as though they may be government agencies.
In particular, the OAG has received complaints against Texas UCC Statement Services. The company has recently been mailing consumers a solicitation that asks consumers to pay $90 to obtain a form that they are unlikely to need and is available from the Texas Secretary of State for a much smaller fee.
The OAG is cautioning consumers that the company’s mailer is designed to mislead Texans to believe that it was sent by a government agency and that the $90 is already due. The solicitation discloses that Texas UCC Statement Services is not a government agency, but that disclosure is not clear and conspicuous and the net impression is misleading.
The OAG has recently seen several companies using similar deceptive solicitation tactics. The OAG encourages consumers to report when they receive suspicious mailers that appear like they may be from an official governmental body and that lead consumers to believe they must contact the company and pay a fee.
Consumers can report suspected fraud to the Texas Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Division by calling toll-free 1-800-621-0508 or by filing an online complaint here. Consumers can also read more about common scams and how to spot, avoid, and report them by clicking here.