Bogus bills going out to Florida business owners

4 In Your Corner's Colleen Hogan is showing you which bill you don't have to pay.

By Colleen Hogan

CREATED Mar. 4, 2013 - UPDATED: Mar. 4, 2013

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  • A warning to Florida businesses about a bogus letter that's been going out asking for money. Video by fox4now.com

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CAPE CORAL, Fla. - Head's up if you own a business in Florida: bogus bills have been sent out in the mail recently that you don't need to pay.

Four In Your Corner's Colleen Hogan is showing you what bill you don't need to pay, to save you more than $100 and potentially a big headache.

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The letter that Cape Coral attorney Eric Feichthaler got in the mail Saturday looks legit.

It's from a company called Compliance Services out of Tallahassee. The letter says it's an 'annual minutes requirement statement' and asks you to send back a $125 dollar check.

"It looks very official," Feichthaler said.  "It looks like it comes from a government office in Tallahassee. In reality, it's just a business trying to get you to send $125."

He says it's money you don't need to send.
 
While the state does require business owners to do certain things, paying $125 to this unaffiliated company isn't one of them. Even on the state's website, www.sunbiz.org, it has a consumer alert warning people that you don't need to send in any money to this company.
 
"It does appear to be, at the very least, extremely deceptive to the people of Florida," Feichthaler said.
 
So be on the look-out. 
 
Feichthaler got the letter in the mail Saturday and expects that more business owners will get them this week.
 
If you have paid this company, you're asked to alert the State's Attorney General's office.
 
Colleen Hogan, reporter
chogan@jrn.com