Secretary Of State Warns Businesses Of Deceptive Mailing
Secretary of State Christi Jacobsen on Wednesday warned business owners of a company engaging in “a new deceptive mailing” her o_ce said is a “brazen attempt” to financially exploit Montanans.
In the mailer, National Business Services uses features that make it resemble an o_cial government record, and it cites fines as high as $25,000 if a company doesn’t obtain specific documentation, said a news release from the Secretary of State’s O_ce.
The mailer congratulates businesses on registering to operate in the state of Montana but says they need additional items, such as labor law posters, and it warns the company “may be at risk.” Small print identifies the mailing as an advertisement.
Wednesday, Jacobsen also issued a cease-and-desist notice to the company, which has an address in Washington, D.C., and said her o_ce will pursue litigation if necessary. Her letter noted the small print as problematic.
“Your disclaimer is deliberately hidden and nearly unreadable — a hallmark of bad-faith actors who know their conduct cannot withstand scrutiny,” Jacobsen said in the letter.
Her letter also said the mailer is designed to elicit “egregious fees” from Montana business owners for services or documents they can get at low or no cost from “trusted government sources.”
Jacobsen said the company may believe it found a loophole by operating under a di rent name than companies that previously received cease-and-desist letters from the Secretary of State, but it’s “the same playbook.”
“This is not a gray area,” the letter said. “And it is an assault on the honest, independent Montanans who built their businesses through hard work — not by preying on others.”
National Business Services could not be reached late Wednesday by voicemail.
In the news release, Jacobsen said the companies sending the mailers are not associated with the Secretary of State’s O_ce or any other government agency.
A spokesperson for the Secretary of State’s Offi ce said the agency was not aware of any business that had lost money in the scheme or the number of businesses in Montana sent mailers from National Business Services.
“The secretary herself called this organization, demanding answers to the very questions you are posing, but they hung up on her,” said spokesperson Richie Melby in an email. “I guess they weren’t feeling talkative.”
