Safe from Scams: Looks can be deceiving

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- Arriving in the mail they look like official government documents, but in our series "Safe from Scams" we find looks can be deceiving. In this case, these pieces of mail are at the heart of a scam.

No mincing words. Using misleading mailings the company Corporate Records Service (CRS) tricked thousands of small business owners into paying unnecessary fees.

"The forms these businesses were receiving looked legitimate," said US postal inspector Laura Carter. "They looked like a governmental document that was a requirement."

CRS offered to fill out forms supposedly "required" by the state for only $125. The forms looked urgent, written in legal language with a "please respond by" mark in the corner.

"The scammers have gotten very creative and very good at mimicking the labels, the logos, the whole impression of it being government documents," said Director of Consumer Protection Abby Kuzma. "Ordinarily, when you get a document that looks like a government document, you respond. We really need to let people know that people are scamming in this way."

The owners of CRS Thomas and Steven Fata are the subject of complaints in several states including: Texas, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Arizona, Delaware, Indiana, Illinois, Virginia, Michigan and Wisconsin.

Carter said, "We always suggest to people, please check with your local attorney general's office or your local Better Business Bureau to always find out whether or not this is a legitimately required item."

You can always check with the better business bureau if you have questions whether a piece of mail is legit.