![\"Tennessee](\"http:\/\/www.clarksvilleonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/03\/TDCI.jpg\" "\\"Tennessee")
Nashville, TN<\/strong> – The paperwork may appear as if it comes from a government agency, but the solicitations that are landing in mailboxes across Tennessee are from private companies angling to charge whopping prices to consumers for relatively inexpensive state services.<\/p>\nThe Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance (TDCI)\u2019s Consumer Affairs Division joins the Tennessee Secretary of State<\/a> and the Better Business Bureau of Middle Tennessee<\/a> with a statewide alert about companies misleading consumers when it comes to filing state paperwork on their behalf.\u201cConsumers who receive one of these letters should contact the Division of Consumer Affairs or our partners at the Secretary of State\u2019s office,\u201d said TDCI Deputy Commissioner Bill Giannini. \u201cYou don\u2019t have to pay someone else a big fee to file simple paperwork.\u201d<\/p>\n Various companies are sending letters offering to obtain business filings, corporate certificates of good standing and certified copies of deeds for homeowners. These solicitations would charge consumers upwards of $150.00 for these services and (in at least one instance) ask provide credit card information.<\/p>\n In Tennessee, a corporation\u2019s annual report can be filed for $20.00. Costs for filing other documents vary. (A list of the For Profit Corporation Fee Schedule is listed here<\/a>.) Local register of deeds often only charge per page for copies of property records, which are typically under $10.00.<\/p>\n “We are committed to ridding Tennessee of unscrupulous operators posing as legitimate businesses,\u201d said TDCI Deputy Commissioner Bill Giannini. \u201cWe appreciate the collaboration and assistance of the Secretary of State and the BBB in identifying these entities. We will continue to make Tennesseans aware of these deceptive business practices through consumer alerts and outreach efforts.”<\/p>\n For more information, visit the BBB\u2019s list of “Misleading Advertising, Products and Services Middle Tennessee Consumers and Businesses Can Do Without.”<\/a><\/p>\n The Division of Business Services maintains a user-friendly online tool to obtain a Certificate of Existence. It can be found at: https:\/\/tnbear.tn.gov\/Ecommerce\/CertOfExistenceInstr.aspx<\/a><\/p>\n