2014 Certificate of Existence Scam

North Carolina Business Filing Services, LLC has mailed out forms so that businesses can order a NC Secretary of State 2014 Certificate of Existence at a cost of $59.99. This is a scam. Businesses are not required to order a Certificate of Existence as a step in the formation process. See below for more information about Certificates of Existence. This company is using public information on the records of the Secretary of State’s office to solicit North Carolina businesses.   
If you have received this solicitation or have already sent the company money, please e-mail or fax a copy to the NC Secretary of State’s Office at the contact numbers below. The NC Secretary of State’s office together with the Attorney General’s Office is taking the steps necessary to protect businesses.
Fax: 919-807-2294
You can order a Certificate of Existence directly from the Secretary of State’s Office for $15 or less. A Certificate of Existence is a certificate issued by the Secretary of State setting out particulars of the organization and status of business entity. The certificate may be relied upon by any person as conclusive evidence that the domestic or foreign corporation is in existence or is authorized to transact business in North Carolina. Certificates of Existence can be ordered from the Secretary of State’s Office in paper or electronic form.
If you want to order an electronic certificate online, you will need to create an account to track your orders and search the entity by name.
You can see a copy of this notice electronically at www.sosnc.com/corporations
Best regards
und viele Grüße aus Charlotte
Reinhard von Hennigs
www.bridgehouse.law