INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. (WOWO): Secretary of State Connie Lawson is warning Indiana businesses about a deceptive letter.

Friday afternoon, Lawson issued a press release saying that the letter, which appears to be from the office’s Business Services Division, is an attempt to solicit Indiana business owners and is not from the Secretary of State’s Office.

The letter solicits a $125 annual fee and states it will be used for record keeping and processing of a company's annual minutes. It cites state law at the beginning of the document and says it came from the Indiana Council for Corporations. The return address on some of the recently mailed letters references a box at a UPS Store in Speedway, Indiana.

“Similar letters have been sent to Hoosiers business owners in the past couple of years,” said Secretary Lawson. “I believe they are distributing this letter to businesses during tax season when people are busy and may not have time to thoroughly read each document they receive. I urge everyone to use caution and to be on the lookout for these letters.”

The Secretary of State’s office no longer sends report filing notices to Hoosier businesses by mail