For example, the homepage of one website had a logo substantially similar to the one displayed on the official website, a slightly modified version of the state’s Great Seal, and a customer support phone number was listed with an Albany area code, although the sole operator of the website lived downstate. The websites, which the company has since taken down, adopted significant elements of the look and feel of the official website from 2021 and copied graphical elements. The NYSDOS alerted the Office of the Attorney General (OAG) of the fraudulent websites. “Attorney General James shares the Department’s commitment to protecting New Yorkers and we thank her for her perseverance in holding these bad actors accountable.” “Impersonating the New York Department of State as a way of defrauding business owners out of their hard-earned money was not only deceptive, unfair, and misleading, it was illegal,” said Secretary of State Robert J. I encourage everyone to be vigilant and ensure the websites they are visiting to conduct government business are legitimate.” Scam artists may think they are savvy, but breaking state laws and conning New Yorkers will get you into hot water with my office. “These websites deceived hardworking New Yorkers who were simply trying to open up their own business and file the necessary paperwork to do so. “Misleading consumers is not a smart business plan, it’s unethical and illegal,” said Attorney General James. In addition to shutting down the websites, Attorney General James secured $44,387 in penalties from the company and its owner. There were no disclosures on the websites that they were operated by a private third-party agreeing to file documents on behalf of their users.
The NYSDOS helps individuals file paperwork for their businesses, such as corporate registry documents, or start a limited liability company (LLC). One of the websites charged $135 for a certified copy of a certificate of incorporation, which cost only $10 from NYSDOS at the time. The misleading websites, created by Thomas Romano and his company, Steamin’ Weenie LLC (Steamin’ Weenie), closely mimicked NYSDOS’ Division of Corporations site by using the agency’s official seal and logo, and allowed users to file various business-related documents with federal, state, and local entities for much higher prices than NYSDOS offered. NEW YORK – New York Attorney General Letitia James shut down two websites that impersonated the New York State Department of State (NYSDOS) and significantly overcharged users for services provided by NYSDOS.
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