MEDIA RELEASE: Secretary Pate joins national #BizSchemeSOS public education effort

DES MOINES – Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate joins his National Association of Secretaries of State (NASS) colleagues in the new #BizSchemeSOS education effort. The goal is to encourage the public, business owners and future entrepreneurs to first check with their Secretary of State to avoid business schemes and other fraudulent practices or activities. Also, by checking with the Secretary of State’s Office individuals can find helpful, accurate and up-to-date information on business services laws, filings, requirements and more.

“My office is the small business portal for the State of Iowa,” Secretary Pate said. “Unfortunately, there are bad actors out there who target small businesses with fraudulent information. I am encouraging Iowans to not fall victim to unnecessary fees or scare tactics. We are here to help. You can avoid scams by first checking with my office.”

Secretary Pate’s office has valuable business services tools, information on deadlines and filings, and an FAQ page for business filers at sos.iowa.gov. If you have questions about any of these items or see suspicious business-related information, please contact the Iowa Secretary of State’s Office at 515-281-5204 or email sos@sos.iowa.gov.

In addition to supporting and promoting #BizSchemeSOS, the Iowa Secretary of State’s Business Services Division offers numerous types of online business filings through the Fast Track Filing system. Secretary Pate also partners with the Iowa Economic Development Authority, Iowa Workforce Development, Iowa Small Business Development Centers and SBA Iowa to provide resources to businesses and entrepreneurs.

###