Attorney General Hilgers Secures Refunds for Around 300 Nebraska Businesses from Deceptive Business Filing Services Company
LINCOLN, NE – Attorney General Mike Hilgers today announced that his office secured refunds for nearly 300 Nebraska businesses from Fast Filing Services LLC, a company that sent deceptive mailers designed to mislead businesses about required state filings. Through refunds and blocked charges, around $30,000 was provided back to affected businesses.
Fast Filing was not registered to conduct business in Nebraska yet offered business registration services in Nebraska. The company sent mailers to local businesses directing them to file their biennial reports through the company. The mailers were designed to look like official government documents, causing confusion that they might be legitimate state correspondence. While Nebraska's biennial report filing costs only $25 when filed directly, Fast Filing charged business owners $100 in addition to the fee. The company held itself as offering compliance services but was not authorized to practice law in Nebraska, nor did its services include compliance assistance beyond filing the information provided.
"Small businesses are the backbone of Nebraska's economy. Protecting them from deceptive practices is an important part of ensuring a fair and free marketplace," said Attorney General Hilgers. "These misleading mailers preyed on business owners' good faith efforts to comply with state law, charging them excessive fees for a simple process that should cost a fraction of what they were paying. Getting affected businesses their money back is a top priority."
The Attorney General's Consumer Protection Bureau worked diligently to secure refunds for affected Nebraska businesses with invaluable assistance from the Secretary of State. The company complied and has agreed to provide refunds to any business that has been overcharged.
"I appreciated the excellent work of the Nebraska Attorney General on these issues. Nebraska businesses do not need to pay third parties for business registrations. It's easy for them to register on their own, and we have an excellent staff to help with any questions. We are working to make our system even easier and more robust,” stated Secretary of State Bob Evnen.
Business owners who believe they may have been affected and did not already receive a refund should contact the Nebraska Attorney General’s Office no later than September 7. Those business owners may contact the Consumer Affairs Response Team at (402) 471-2682.
The Attorney General's Office reminds Nebraska businesses that biennial reports can be filed directly through the Nebraska Secretary of State's office at the official state rate. Business owners should be cautious of third-party services that charge significantly higher fees for business filing services.