Beware of Companies House Scams

Scam communications – either emails or letters – which claim to be from Companies House are nothing new. We have written about them before:

Beware of Fake Companies House Letters & Payment Requests! – Johnston Smillie

and they have not gone away.

The latest example we have seen was addressed to a client who has recently incorporated a company. On official-looking paper with the heading “Company registration” the letter included the company’s name, date of incorporation, registered number and registered address (all of which information is publicly available at the Companies House website).

The letter proceeded to ask for payment of £371 as a “Fee for publishing the company’s legal information in the public database of Companies House Register”. There is a QR code for payment.

This is a scam, plain and simple. The letter did not come from Companies House. The company details were already on record at the Register of Companies and all incorporation formalities had been completed. The company would get nothing in return for the payment of £371.

Fortunately, our client was suspicious and asked us about this. However, it is easy to imagine that many company directors will not think twice about a letter like this and will fall victim to the scam.

Companies House are aware of this and similar scams, but there seems to be little they can do about it.  Their guidance makes for depressing reading:

Reporting scams pretending to be from Companies House – GOV.UK

Our advice today remains the same as it was in our earlier blog. If you receive an unexpected or suspicious communication which claims to be from Companies House:

• Do Not Respond:Never reply to the letter or send any information requested.
• Bin the Letter or Delete the Email
• Report the Scam by Contacting Companies House Directly:If you’re unsure about communication, reach out to Companies House through their official website, phone number 0303 1234 500 or email address: phishing@companieshouse.gov.uk.
• Contact Johnston Smillie:If you are a Johnston Smillie client please just contact us and we will check it out for you.

Remember: If something feels off, it probably is. Don’t hesitate to report the scam and protect your business from identity theft and financial loss and remember we are always here to help.  If you are unsure just ask your usual Johnston Smillie contact.

Image by Jigar-Panchal on Unsplash