where people can report fraudulent business filings, defined as when a bad actor creates a new business using someone else’s address or personal information without their written consent, modifies an existing business registration without consent, or takes over a current registration for fraudulent purposes.
It doesn’t cover internal disputes between current and former business partners, disgruntled employees or competitors, upset spouses or romantic partners, and warring family members or friends. “As Secretary of State, I will always work to ensure Colorado remains a great place to own and operate a business. This new resource provides protections for hard-working Colorado business owners from the increasing threat of business identity theft, while cutting red tape,” said Secretary of State Jena Griswold in a news release.
Complaints deemed legitimate will be turned over to the Attorney General’s Office for investigation, following requirements in the “Combating Business Identity Theft Act,” which passed the legislature last year. If fraud is suspected, victim information will be redacted and the record flagged as suspected fraudulent activity.