UPDATE: A 2020 version of this scam is now making the rounds – read more.

Original story below…

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BALTIMORE, MD—The Office of the Attorney General has received information indicating that businesses in Maryland have been receiving a letter entitled “2019 Certificate of Good Standing Request Form.”

The letter requests a fee in exchange for a letter of good standing with an “official seal of the Secretary of State.”

The Office of the Attorney General warns that this letter is fraudulent.

The scam letter asks the recipient to send a check or money order to an entity named “MD Certificate Service” in Annapolis, MD in exchange for an “elective Maryland Certificate of Good Standing.”

The letter goes to great lengths to look official with a “document number” and a barcode, and includes a customer service phone number of 1-855-222-3322.

Some business entities in Maryland are required to have a certificate of good standing, but not from the Secretary of State.

An official certificate of good standing is available from the Maryland Department of Assessments and Taxation for a nominal fee.

Anyone who receives this letter can report it to the Maryland Secretary of State, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) at http://www.ftccomplaintassistant.gov, or the United States Postal Inspection Service at 1-877-876-2455.