Tigard, OR. – Official Release: Business owners, by now you’ve probably heard about the Corporate Transparency Act (CTA) requirement to submit a Business Ownership Information (BOI) report. Scammers have heard about this, too. Please be alert and keep an eye out for new scams trying to trick you into giving up your personal information or paying fake fines or fees under the guise of the this BOI reporting requirement.
Here’s what you need to remember: never send money to anyone claiming to be a government agency when filing your BOI. You can file your BOI yourself for free at www.fincen.gov. If you get a letter stating it costs money to file, it’s a scam. Be suspicious of emails, texts or letters that ask you to click a URL or scan a QR code.
Always verify the sender by looking up return addresses, names and contact information. Don’t pay anything to the “US Business Regulations Department” or pay to file a form 4022 or 5102; that’s not a real department and those forms don’t exist.
When in doubt, do your research. The Tigard Chamber of Commerce can help you. To learn more, reach out to the Tigard Chamber or visit the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network website at www.fincen.gov/boi. If you think you may have fallen for a scam, please report it to Tigard Police by calling 503-629-0111. You can also report scams to the FBI at IC3.gov.
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