I know that there are at least a few members here who own or manage small businesses in Florida.

We need to file an annual report with the state, it needs to be done on or before (preferably before) the drop-dead date of April 30 each year in order to avoid getting hit with the $400.00 penalty for late filing.

It is really a simple matter to use the state's website, sunbiz.org, to do this. Couple minutes, fill in (fill out?) the form, and Bob's your uncle. Easy peasy.

The scam? Letters in the mail, and email messages, from fileFlorida.com, maybe some others, too, I'm not sure, since they all go to the shredder and then to the recycle bin. The offer is to do the filing for you. Only $123.75 (that's the minimum charge, it could be up to $375.00, depending on the type of business). Yup, over a hundred bucks, and possibly up to almost four hundred, to do something that is really easy to do for free on the state's website.

Is this really a scam? Not sure, I guess that they will provide the service if you're gullible enough to pay them, so maybe technically not a scam, but it certainly is a way to make an unnecessary transfer of $$$ from your pocket to theirs.

I replied to their email, telling them that I have been doing the filing for over twenty years without paying a filing fee, but if they want to do it for me, my offer is two dollah. Haven't heard back from them since I made that offer.

Do I hear three?

quote:

Originally posted by Excam_Man:
Do I hear three?

Never ever even try to argue with an Auctioneer. Lol giggle snort guffaw.
.

I'm sure there are other people in your shoes who pay others for doing that.

I think just about any activity, somebody will help you for a fee or even for "free". The free stuff is the Medicare agents who will help you for free but they get a commission from the insurance company in perpetuity as long as you pay your premiums.

It's a toss up for me. The first time I signed up for health insurance through obamacare, I used an agent for free. But, even though I'm doing the work now, they still get a residual because I'm connected with them.

Interesting V-Tail. I too just throw such nonsense in the trash, but some of my early favorites are the companies that offer to sell you the "legal" minimum wage and worker's comp posters...you know, the ones you get for FREE?

I guess it isn't technically a scam...

It's not necessarily a scam or fraud. It would only be that if they took your money and didn't do this filing.

quote:

It's not necessarily a scam or fraud. It would only be that if they took your money and didn't do this filing.

As I said in the original post, maybe technically not a scam, but they really have chutzpah, charging $125.00 to do something really simple, that anybody can do online on the Florida Department of Revenue website in less than five minutes.

They make their advertising, or offer of service, look really official and they imply that this is a very complicated task. Neither of those is true. That's why I call it a scam.

They do it here, too, for the NC state required filing for LLCs and corporations. Can go online and DIY at the state Secretary of State site - easy peasy 5 minutes tops to update or confirm no change.

$202 per filing, taken as credit card charge at the website.

Or, take advantage of one of those helpful offers that come in, looking soooooo official with the fancy envelope printing, with names of the service looking almost-but-not-quite like a government agency and prominent mentions of the penalties for filing late or not filing at all. And - what a bargain! - only 2-3x the cost of DIY.

Probably take longer to add the 'service' provider into Quickbooks than to do the filing yourself.

It is a scam in the sense that these companies make their notices look official, and the language is written so that you'd think you need to use them to register.

Obviously it works or they wouldn't do it, get 1000 people with small companies to register and you've made a cool quarter million in the first few months of the year.

The FL Department of Business regulation sends a reminder email every January with instructions and a link. They used to send a card to your business address.