No staff, lawyer assigned to strike off names of companies in default – ORC

The Office of the Registrar of Companies (ORC) says it has not assigned any staff or lawyer to strike off companies in default from the companies register.

The office in a statement signed by Jemima Mamaa Oware, the Registrar of Companies, said its attention had been drawn to the activities of some faceless persons purporting to be staff or lawyers of the office and defrauding its unsuspecting clients.

The fraudsters, it said, directed unsuspecting company officials and business owners through text messages and phone calls to make mobile money payments to certain phone numbers by setting deadlines along with threats to strike their company names that were in default off the companies’ register.

“They sometimes send a truncated copy of the Office press release urging clients to file their Annual Returns and Renewal, through WhatsApp to legitimise their fraudulent activities on company officials and business owners.

“We urge our clients, stakeholders and the general public to note that all payments on transactions are done in our in-house Fidelity Bank with the Bank’s authorised receipt issued to clients on their payments,” the statement explained.

The Office, therefore, cautioned its clients and stakeholders to ignore such scam phone calls, text and WhatsApp messages eliciting mobile money payments on any transaction in the name of ORC or Registrar-General’s Department.

It also asked the public to avoid the use of intermediaries or agents when transacting business with the office.

The Office had engaged and continued to collaborate with the security agencies to investigate, apprehend and prosecute such faceless persons perpetuating such fraudulent activities on its clients, the statement said.

“We are by this release encouraging our clients to be vigilant and report any such calls or text messages to the Office for further action to curb the menace."