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This didn't happen to me, but this was posted on a local blog I follow and I was curious what the scam was.

Someone setup an LLC using my home address. It is a single-family home, and we have owned for 5 years, so I’m not sure why / how they used my address to setup a business. This happened around January 2022 and for the last few weeks we have been getting all kinds of mail addressed to the business, including a corporate banking account summary (which had $0 in it). I am not sure what the scam is, but I am concerned and want to report this.

What does someone have to gain from registering a business at someone else's address? Anything this person should do to protect themselves?

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    Who knows? Maybe a neighbor transposed the numbers in their own address, or maybe someone is pulling a scam and want to anonymize themselves from the law enforcement, or potentially someone has access to that person mail box without them knowing, you can't know for sure
    – littleadv
    Apr 1, 2022 at 18:11
  • Agreed, we could speculate all kinds of things, but I don't think there can be a single definitive answer to this with so little information.
    – glibdud
    Apr 1, 2022 at 18:36
  • Might simply be a mixed-up business listing; it happened to me once, and I started getting solicitations for someone else's business.
    – jeffronicus
    Apr 1, 2022 at 22:24

2 Answers 2

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Like any mail you receive that isn't for you, simply write on the front of the envelope (in a blank space):

Not at this address

Then put it in any outgoing mail. More info here.

Note this is most likely an error.

It's highly unlikely to be a criminal organization or scam attempt. LLC's are registered with the State and most banks do personal verification, so this would be unwise to do on purpose. If you were doing something nefarious, having mail purposefully sent to someone else's residential address pretty much ensures that your newly registered company would be found out within days. If it were a criminal enterprise, then you would not want any evidence going to someone who isn't in on it.

If you wish to be even more proactive you could contact the bank and/or the department in your State where LLC's are registered, to find out more information about the owner or at least notify them that the address is incorrect.

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    LLCs can have residential addresses, can't they?
    – Loren Pechtel
    Apr 2, 2022 at 20:40
  • @LorenPechtel Sure they can. Why do you ask?
    – TTT
    Apr 2, 2022 at 20:56
  • @LorenPechtel I think I know why you asked...edited.
    – TTT
    Apr 2, 2022 at 20:58
  • Yeah, the regulators wouldn't care. The recipient of the misdirected mail might. On the other hand I have been incapable of getting T-Mobile to get to the root of the number that is not mine but has my name on it. It exists, it does absolutely nothing, everybody's stumped--acting like it's a data glitch of some kind.
    – Loren Pechtel
    Apr 2, 2022 at 21:22
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There are many possibilities.

Obvious possibility number one: They're planning to do something criminal. Like maybe sign contracts, collect the money, and then never deliver. When the police come after them, they'll go to your address rather than the scammer's home. Then you'll be stuck explaining that you know nothing about any of this.

Two: All the bills get sent to you. I presume you don't just pay them, but then you get tied up explaining that you know nothing about these bills, possibly ending up fighting law suits or criminal charges. Hopefully you'd win in the end, but you could have a lot of legal bills along the way. And from the scammers point of view, the goal is to just keep things confused and attention off of them long enough for them to run off with the money.

Three: They've listed your house as collateral for big loans. They run off with the money, and when they don't repay the bank comes after you. After that similar to point 2. Worst case for point two or three is that the scammers forged your signature and a court doesn't believe you had nothing to do with any of it, and you end up stuck with the bills.

Probably other things I'm not thinking of off the top of my head because I just don't have the right thinking processes to be a successful scammer.

I would definitely contact whatever agency is responsible for registering LLCs in your area and tell them you have nothing to do with this company and this is some sort of fraud.

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  • Mistake seems more likely than scam, but who knows.
    – Hart CO
    Apr 1, 2022 at 18:27
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    @HartCO Sure, it's possible that it's just a mistake. I'd still want to get it straightened out. Because even if it's a mistake, if they start sending bills to your address and you are officially listed as the address of the LLC, that could be a problem. One would hope you would win in court if it came to that, but there could be inconvenience, cost, and aggravation along the way.
    – Jay
    Apr 2, 2022 at 0:24

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