The Secretary of State's office has become aware of a new UCC scam

The Tennessee Secretary of State's office is issuing a new warning to all Tennesseans about a scam involving Uniform Commercial Code (UCC) documents. 

As part of the scam, citizens receive an official-looking mailer from TN UCC Statement Service, incorrectly implying businesses or individuals must obtain a copy of a UCC-1 financing statement filed against them.

The Uniform Commercial Code (UCC) is a comprehensive set of laws governing sales or other commercial transactions. A UCC-1 financing statement is a legal form that creditors use to give notice that they have a lien on an asset of a debtor. While these financing statements are common in Tennessee, the deceptive mail pieces attempt to compel Tennesseans to pay $107 for the TN UCC Statement Service to request a copy of their financial statement on behalf of a debtor. These mailers imply recipients must obtain a copy of the UCC-1 financing statement, which is rarely the case. 

The Secretary of State’s Division of Business and Charitable Organizations issues around 200,000 UCC-1 financing statements annually. Those who want a copy of a UCC-1 financing statement can quickly and easily request one directly from the Secretary of State’s office for just $15 by calling 615-741-2286 or online at https://tnbear.tn.gov/UCC/Ecommerce/UCCInfoReqInstr.aspx.

Any businesses or individuals who receive suspicious mailers related to this issue are encouraged to report this activity to the Division of Business and Charitable Organizations and the Tennessee Attorney General’s office. 

To reach the Division of Business and Charitable Organizations, call (615) 741-2286 or visit  https://sos.tn.gov/businesses.

To file a complaint with the Attorney General’s office, call (615) 741-3491 or visit www.tn.gov/content/tn/attorneygeneral/working-for-tennessee/consumer/file-a-complaint.html