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Did you know that as of January 1, 2024, the Corporate Transparency Act enacted by Congress requires many companies to report beneficial ownership information to the US Treasury Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN)? Beneficial ownership information (BOI), as defined by FinCEN, is identifying information about the individuals who directly or indirectly own or control a company. Please review the BOI links on our website to see if you are required to report to FinCEN.

Mark Hammond

Secretary Hammond Joins NASS in #BizSchemeSOS Public Education Effort

Tue, 05/04/2021

(Columbia, SC) – South Carolina Secretary of State Mark Hammond is joining his National Association of Secretaries of State (NASS) colleagues in the new #BizSchemeSOS education effort to encourage the public, business owners and future entrepreneurs to first check with their Secretary of State to avoid business schemes and other fraudulent practices or activities. Also, by checking with the Secretary of State’s Office, individuals can find helpful, accurate and up-to-date information on business services, filings, requirements and more.

“Recently, our office has seen increased activity with scams targeting businesses—everything from phony ‘certificates of status’ to inflated certified copy fees,” said Secretary Hammond.  “It is important that businesses stay vigilant when it comes to their business filings, and notify us anytime they receive suspicious correspondence or a solicitation to provide business services.  It is my hope that the #BizSchemeSOS campaign will raise public awareness about these scams, and let businesses know that our office is available as a resource.” 

Secretary Hammond’s office has valuable business services tools, information on business filings, and current business scam alerts at sos.sc.gov.   If you have questions about any of these items or see suspicious business-related information, please contact the Secretary of State’s Business Filings Division at (803) 734-2158.  You can also visit the Secretary of State’s website to send an electronic message to the Business Filings Division.   “Please don’t hesitate to contact our office if you have any questions or concerns,” said Secretary Hammond.  “One quick phone call or message can help protect you from business scams and save you time, money and resources.”

Beyond the Secretary of State’s Office, multiple state agencies work in tandem to support the business community, including the South Carolina Department of Commerce, SC Business One-Stop (SCBOS), and the Department of Revenue.  You can find more information on what these agencies do at sc.gov.  For resources and information on South Carolina’s response to and recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, please visit accelerate.sc.gov.  

 

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