PRESS RELEASE March 9, 2021

AG Fitch reaches settlement with

Centurion Filing Services, LLC
Misled consumers eligible for refund

“ It’s hard enough to start a business without someone misleading you,

especially in a pandemic. I stand by my commitment to protect
Mississippi consumers from unfair and deceptive business practices that
seek to scam them out of their hard-earned money.”

Attorney General Lynn Fitch reached a settlement with Centurion Filing Services,
LLC, which conducts business as MS Certificate Service.

“It’s hard enough to start a business without someone misleading you, especially in
a pandemic,” said Attorney General Lynn Fitch. “I stand by my commitment to
protect Mississippi consumers from unfair and deceptive business practices that seek
to scam them out of their hard-earned money.”

The consent judgment resolves allegations that Centurion Filing Services, LLC
violated the Mississippi Consumer Protection Act. The company sent solicitations to
new business owners, containing elements meant to make the correspondence look
like an official State form, charging a fee to obtain a Certificate of Existence from the
Mississippi Secretary of State. The solicitation charged these new businesses over
three times the actual cost of a certificate, which are not even necessary for the
businesses targeted by Centurion. Nearly 6,000 businesses have been affected and
have lost as much as $374,125, total.

Under the terms of the agreement, Centurion must:

• Stop using the solicitation that the Mississippi Attorney General’s Office
deemed deceptive and use a format approved by the State, and

• Refund any customers who believe they were misled by the solicitation letter.

Any consumer who paid Centurion for a Certificate of Existence using this form and
believes they were a victim of this scam may request a refund of $62.50 by
contacting:

Centurion at mscs@certificatefilingservice.com or

The Mississippi Attorney General’s Office at centurion@ago.ms.gov.

You must request your refund within 3 years of making the payment to Centurion.
Any consumers who have questions may call the Attorney General’s Consumer
Protection Division at 601-973-4938.

MEDIA CONTACT
Colby Jordan
Director of Communications
Colby.Jordan@ago.ms.gov
Office: 601-359-2002
Cell: 601-201-8428