Minnesota Businesses Warned of New Year Scam

Mantorville, MN (KROC-AM News)- As the new year kicks off, law enforcement is warning Minnesota businesses about a scam that is typically seen in early January.

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Dodge County Sheriff Scott Rose says scammers shift their targets from consumers to business once the holiday season wraps up.

Scammers will send business official-looking forms through the mail regarding a business filing.

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"Once the Money is Gone - it's Gone," Minnesota Small Businesses Warned of New Year Scam Regarding State Filing

Rose said the scam involves sending small businesses, particularly recently formed businesses, a form indicating the business needs to submit a business filing to the state.

The Minnesota Attorney General’s Office says the fake forms list state and federal laws to falsely claim that companies need to pay a service for a compliance business filing with the state.

The fine print of the fake form, which Rose shared to the Dodge County Sheriff’s Office’s Facebook page, says the filing work is provided by a third party company.

The form shared to the southeast Minnesota law enforcement agency’s Facebook page includes the name of a filing company that does not exist, according to state records.

Rose is asking anyone who encounters the scam to report it to law enforcement.