If a company-registration consultant may be misleading you, stop judging progress by chats and screenshots. Verify the company or LLP on MCA records, demand SRNs and filed forms for each claimed filing, check challans and resubmission notices, and retain control of DSC credentials. Treat missing MCA evidence as a documentation problem before assuming fraud.
Verify every claimed filing yourself
1. List what the consultant says is completed
Name reservation, incorporation, DIN, PAN/TAN, registered office, agreement or later filings should each have a separate status and evidence item.
2. Demand the MCA trail
For each filed form, ask for the final form/attachments, SRN, challan and any resubmission communication. A screenshot of a consultant dashboard is not equivalent.
3. Verify entity records on MCA
Check whether the entity exists and whether core master-data details match what you approved.
4. Secure signing credentials
If a DSC or PIN is controlled by someone else, recover control and review what was signed. Do not share OTPs or passwords casually.
5. Escalate based on the actual problem
A filing delay, professional misconduct, consumer-service dispute and suspected financial fraud are different issues. Preserve evidence before choosing a route.
Evidence that proves work was done
| Claim | Evidence to request | Verify against |
|---|---|---|
| “Form filed” | Filed form, attachments, SRN, challan | MCA status and resulting record. |
| “Resubmission answered” | Resubmission note and response filed | MCA acknowledgement/status. |
| “Company incorporated” | Certificate and entity identifiers | MCA master data. |
| “PAN/TAN generated” | Official communication/document | Correct entity name and identifiers. |
| “Compliance completed” | Specific filed form and acknowledgement | Relevant MCA record; not a generic invoice. |
Red flags that justify pausing payments
- Refusal to provide SRNs or copies of filed forms.
- Repeated requests for new money to “unlock” an already-paid filing without a written government fee basis.
- Entity name, directors/partners or registered office differing from what you approved.
- Permanent unsupervised control of your DSC credentials.
- Claims that MCA records are wrong but no official service request or correction filing exists.
Pause discretionary further payments until the consultant reconciles the engagement scope, amounts already paid and actual MCA evidence. Do not withhold statutory fees that are genuinely due without understanding the consequence.
If money was taken but no filing exists
Send one written demand listing the promised deliverables, payments, missing evidence and a deadline for response. Ask for either the exact MCA filing evidence or a refund/settlement explanation. Preserve invoices, bank/UPI receipts, emails and messages.
If there is actual suspected impersonation, forged documents or unauthorised use of credentials, treat that differently from poor service and consider appropriate cybercrime/police/professional channels. Do not label an ordinary delay as cybercrime without evidence.