Maine becomes second state to offer online corporate fraud monitoring
Maine became the second state in the country to release an online corporate fraud monitoring service that will allow business owners to automatically know what a claim is filed against their firm.
The service, announced last week, will be housed within Maine’s Bureau of Corporations, Elections and Commissions, a division of the Department of Secretary of State.
“This service provides everyone, from a large corporation to the average small business owner, with a chance to be proactive in their fight against individuals who intend to harm others and seek profit by committing fraudulent filings,” Maine Gov. Paul LePage said. “Users are immediately notified of any new filings, giving them a chance to quickly react to any unauthorized changes and take defensive steps, like freezing credit lines and contacting credit bureaus.”
Users who sign up for the service will create an online profile that will keep track of the business entities they want monitored. This profile will allow users to review, add or delete entities from their monitoring account, to review add, delete or edit email addresses on file for notifications, and to view a list of filings or changes completed against the entity over the past one year.
A $35 annual charge will be assessed for each entity listed.
If a new filing is submitted for an entity being monitored through the online service, the customer will receive an email notification immediately letting them know.
“There are nearly 80,000 registered entities in the State of Maine,” stated Secretary of State Matthew Dunlap. “While small business owners and corporations may be vigilant in protecting their entities and investments, it can be difficult to always stay alert and informed of outside risks. This will eliminate some of that risk.”
The online service was developed at no cost to Maine taxpayers and was created by the Maine secretary of state, Bureau of Corporations, Elections and Commissions, in partnership with the state’s e-government portal provider, InforME.
