It is no news that individual microentrepreneurs (MEI) are constant targets of online scam attempts, since some data such as email and phone related to legal entities become public as soon as companies are established. These practices, however, have intensified in recent weeks and with new appearances, potentially causing more confusion among inattentive or unaware micro-entrepreneurs. Only in the first half of August, the MaisMei, that helps simplify the management and bureaucratic obligations of individual microentrepreneurs through an app, received 88 complaints of unknown charges by small managers, related to a false "membership fee". To get an idea, throughout the month of August last year the volume was 57 reports, a frequency 54% lower.
In July 2024, the difference was even more concerning: 190 complaints, a significant increase of 442,86% compared to the same month in 2023, that recorded 35 complaints
In some of these cases, MaisMei was able to alert potential victims that they were dealing with scams before improper payments were made, but many times the reports are made after the crimes have been committed. "It is common for the person responsible for the CNPJ to be exposed to various fraud attempts shortly after the company is opened", because this process and the volume of information can be confusing at first. AND, in this context, many entrepreneurs start to receive various emails, calls and messages with service offers that you were not aware of the existence or need for before, explain Mateus Vicente,co-founder and CEO of MaisMei.
The scam of the "membership fee" is the most common and, recently, it started to circulate with some changes to further confuse microentrepreneurs. As the name itself says, the "annual associative fee" refers to an amount paid to commercial or business associations. In fact, there are several of these organizations, practically one for each activity, in which the entrepreneur can partner to improve their business.
However, the contribution or collection of fees for associations and unions, for example, it is not mandatory. That is to say, if you have not joined any institution or requested the service, should not make any payment. It is about, therefore, of a fake document.
"It happens that numerous micro-entrepreneurs have received a charge by email", informing that there is a debt recorded in the system that, normally, it revolves around R$159,00 to R$300,00 reais, regarding the 'UNIQUE ASSOCIATIVE RATE – (One-Time Payment). A bill is also sent to settle this supposed debt, having these characteristics of an official document, with signatures and emblems of government agencies. This really catches the manager by surprise and, many times, the content of the message contains legal threats, also false. Always disregard this type of contact or charge and, if you still have doubts, seek the help of a professional accountant or security agencies, alert Mateus Vicente.
More recently, the term "ASSISTANCE CONTRIBUTION RATE", related to the same criminal practice, began to be used by the coup plotters more frequently.
“Table” loss
"Unfortunately, this also harms us, because on consumer protection sites and those that evaluate the reputation of companies, like Reclame Aqui, many victims end up searching for the term "MEI" when associating a company with the complaint and our name or those of other companies in the segment, that have nothing to do with the scams, appear as an option, tells the manager of MaisMei.
Mateus Vicente also says that, despite having no connection to the collection of the "Assistance Contribution Fee" or other scams, the company adopted the stance of investigating each reported case in order to guide the MEIs on the risks and appropriate measures.
At the end of July this year, The Federal Government issued a note warning about another attempt at fraud that is spreading, being related to a false generator of MEI guides.
The Federal Revenue warns citizens about the existence of fraudulent websites that simulate the Generator Program of the Collection Document of the Simples Nacional – Individual Microentrepreneur (PGMEI). These fake sites can direct users to fake document generator programs, causing financial losses and bringing legal obligations to taxpayers
Make sure to access the official channels to generate PGMEI documents or to access other services. The access domain to the service must containrecipe.farm.gov.brno link, say the positioning, that also recommends thecorrect linkfor such procedure
Among other common frauds, are
– National business registration scamAlleged charge of a CNDE (National Company Registration) in the amount of R$97,00, in which they claim to be an "annual contribution", under the threat that, if the payment is not made, the "cancellation" of the CNPJ may occur. The Federal Revenue does not charge any type of fee to keep the CNPJ registration active via email. The only obligations of the MEI are the monthly payment of the DAS guide and the annual submission of the revenue declaration (DASN) once a year
– Domain Registration Ticket Scam:Some companies send entrepreneurs a charge from the INPI (National Institute of Industrial Property), without having requested any service, a Compensation Slip, usually simulating it to be an official mandatory fee of the entity. Another strategy is the issuance of false payment slips related to "optional brand or patent maintenance fee" or "immediate maintenance (or renewal) payment". These correspondences claim that the payment of the fee will result in the publication of the registration in a supposed "annual edition of trademarks and patents", no "sending of publications" or in other similar actions
– DAS Guide scam discounted from the energy bill:The Guide Scam of MEI occurs with the sending of a false correspondence or contact via phone where the scammers claim to be from the City Hall of your city and, in it, it appears as the sender "Simples Nacional" and the only payment method available is PIX for a discount on the electricity bill. The Attorney General's Office of the National Treasury does not carry out any types of collections, partnerships with City Halls, private companies, with a discount on the payment of the DAS tax – MEI in water bills, light or phone
Prevention tips
MaisMei has listed some important tips to help microentrepreneurs avoid falling into traps:
– Do not make advance payments
– Look for the official service channels of the Federal Revenue Service
– Do not provide or confirm personal data over the phone, because you don't know who is on the other side of the line
– Beware of generous offers
– Avoid putting personal phone numbers or email addresses in the opening of the MEI (an extra tip is to use neutral data like "99 9999-9999" or "email@email.com”).
A free tool that can also be used is“MEI Diagnosis”, launched by MaisMei. With this resource, the manager has access to all real pending issues related to the CNPJ, if there are. The company also provides legal and accounting advisors to answer questions from individual micro-entrepreneurs.
