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Michigan business owners are being targeted by a fraudulent scheme designed to collect unnecessary fees for annual statement filings, state officials warned.

The Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA) issued an alert about a non-governmental entity called “New Business Filing LLC” that has been sending official-looking mailings to corporations and limited liability companies across the state. These deceptive notices attempt to collect annual statement fees from businesses, regardless of whether they have already fulfilled their legitimate filing requirements.

According to LARA Director Marlon I. Brown, the scam deliberately targets LLCs and corporations with mailings that “appear official” but are not from the state agency. “These deceptive mailings are not from LARA, even if they appear official. Our business customers should disregard them and only respond to correspondence directly from LARA,” Brown stated.

How to Identify Legitimate Communications

Business owners should be aware that authentic notices from Michigan’s government are sent exclusively from LARA’s Corporations, Securities, and Commercial Licensing Bureau. These legitimate mailings are addressed to the registered resident agent at the business’s registered office address on file with the state.

The fraudulent letters can be sophisticated in their deception. They may be addressed to various parties including the corporation itself, resident agents, directors, or officers. Some even reference Michigan statutes or federal statutes and may appear to come from the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs itself.

Here is an example of a fraudulent mailer:

LARA advises business owners to carefully review any official-looking documents they receive and to read all fine print before taking action. When in doubt, they should contact LARA directly at 517-241-6470 for verification.

What to Do If You Receive a Fraudulent Notice

Business owners who receive suspicious mailings should take several important steps:

• Preserve the notice along with both the mailing envelope and return envelope as evidence
• Report the mail fraud to the United States Postal Inspection Service by calling 1-877-876-2455 or visiting uspis.gov.
• File a complaint with the Michigan Attorney General’s office at 877-765-8388 or through Michigan.gov/ag.

Protecting Your Business

To verify your business’s actual filing status and history, visit the State of Michigan’s official MiBusiness Registry Portal and do a name search of your business. This portal allows businesses to check whether they are current on their required annual filings without falling victim to fraudulent schemes.

The state of Michigan has also instated a file online only for all LLC and corporation annual statements using their new Registry Portal. These annual statements are due in February every year and require a $25 fee all payable through their official portal.

The warning comes as small businesses continue to face various forms of fraud and deceptive practices. Business owners are encouraged to verify the authenticity of any official-looking correspondence before providing payment or sensitive information.

For questions about corporations, limited liability companies, or limited partnerships, business owners should contact LARA directly or visit their official website at michigan.gov/lara.

This article is based on information from a Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs press release dated June 24, 2025.

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