Fake ASIC company registration notices are circulating across Australia.

If you have recently received a letter about renewing your company registration or completing an annual ASIC review, please stop before you do anything.

A number of Australian company owners and directors are currently receiving official-looking correspondence from private companies with names like “Registry Australia” and “Registration.” These letters are designed to look like they’ve come from ASIC. They haven’t. And you are not required to pay them anything.

ASIC has issued an alert warning companies and business name holders about unsolicited correspondence from third-party providers that can look, at first glance, like it’s come directly from ASIC. It may not have.

If a client pays one of these letters and unknowingly authorises a third party to act on their behalf, that company can be transferred away from your Registered ASIC agent, meaning away from our office.

Who is actually sending these?

The companies behind these notices are private, third-party service providers. Some may technically be registered ASIC agents, meaning they can perform company review tasks, but only if you have specifically authorised them to do so. What they cannot do is send unsolicited correspondence that creates the impression it has come from ASIC.

ASIC has been clear: these providers are not ASIC, and any company that contacts you out of the blue about a review or renewal without prior authorisation is not acting on ASIC’s behalf, regardless of how official the letter appears.

What do these notices look like?

These notices are genuinely convincing. They arrive by post or email, reference your actual company name and ABN, include a review date, and quote a fee, typically between $449 and $495. Some offer a discount for early payment to manufacture urgency. They include payment options via credit card, BPAY, and QR code, which adds to the impression that this is a legitimate bill you need to settle.

Buried right at the bottom, in fine print, you’ll find a disclaimer along the lines of: “This is not a review notice issued by ASIC. This is not a bill. You are not required to pay any money.”

By the time most people reach that line, the letter has already done its job.

How to tell if it’s actually from ASIC

Before paying anything or responding to any renewal or review notice, take these steps:

• Check the sender. Emails from ASIC will always come from an address ending in @asic.gov.au
• Compare the fee against ASIC’s published fee schedule, which is available on their website..
• Log in to ASIC Connect or the Company Officeholder Portal to check whether a renewal or review is actually due
• Be cautious if payment is being requested well in advance of a due date

ASIC sends company annual statements to one address only, in order of priority: your registered agent, your online account, your nominated mailing address, or your registered office. Business name renewal reminders are sent by email to the address linked to your registration.

If Daley is your registered ASIC agent, renewal notices will be issued by us via email or post.

If you’re ever unsure, you can contact our team or log in directly to ASIC Connect at connect.asic.gov.au or call ASIC on 1300 300 630 to confirm whether a review is genuinely due.