New companies are being duped into paying for an online directory listing by a webservice that displays a coat of arms that is not unlike that of Companies House.

Website newcompanyregister.org writes to new companies and then invites them to pay £37.50 in order to register with their online directory. Whilst there is nothing to prevent anyone writing to new companies, the issue is that the company logo (a coat of arms, see below) looks very like that of Companies House and the wording of the letter is likely to make a new company owner assume that registration is part of your incorporation process. The result is that many new companies are being tricked into paying for a listing that they probably don't want or need.

The fact is that if your register a new company with Companies House you are already on the company register and so you do not need to pay twice.

  • Once on the Companies House register you will in time find that you are picked up by various local directories and company information search websites for free.
  • You can also update your own details on search engines for free.

Not to be confused with: the new requirement to retain a Register of persons with significant control.

Coats of arms:

 

Companies House

 

 

 

Flipped version of crest: newcompanyregister.org

 

logo

 

Wording

"Dear Sir or Madam

On [date] a new entry was made on the Register of Companies ar Companies House for the company [name] with the given number [company number] under provisions laid out in the Companies Act 2006.

All required information has now been received relating to your company from Companies House, and for entry to take place on newcompanyregister.org the registration fee is now due.

The current fee for entry is £37.50 and no further payment will be required. The company will remain on the Resigister as long as your company is registered with Companies House..."

Instructions follow to paypal.

The small print

If you decide to pay you should read the small print, which indicates that the business is quite keen on copycat websites:

"Registration is voluntary furthermore registration with Us is not a prerequisite or a fundamental factor of your company being registered at companies house, furthermore you agree and fully accept we are a private entity and are in no way associated with companies house or any other government body and that the use of the sub-domains www.govuk.ncrdigital.info, www.ne.ncrdigital.info, www.newreg.ncrdigital.info or any other subdomain is used simply to advise us where the subscription derived from and we use this information for future promotion and/or marketing of the registry."