"Congrats on the new funding. We can beat that rate, and we can do it today."
You told nobody. Your accountant doesn't know yet. But the broker on line two knows the month you signed, and sometimes the name of your funder. That isn't a guess. It's a public record, and it's probably why your phone started ringing.
This is Part 4 of Stop the Calls. Part 1 gave you the script, Part 2 the written stop, Part 3 the call log. Today we go upstream, to where the list starts.
General information, not legal advice.
The paper trail behind the ringing
When a funder takes your receivables as collateral, it usually files a UCC-1 financing statement with your state. MCA funders commonly do. The filing names your business, names the funder, and describes the collateral. It also carries a mailing address for your business.
That system is public on purpose. Lenders search it to see who already has a claim on you. Lead sellers search it too. They pull fresh filings, match the business name to phone numbers from other sources, and sell the list to brokers. We walked through that pipeline in more detail in why brokers call you.
So the "congrats" call is not psychic. It's a new filing with your name on it.
The tactic: run your own UCC check
Take about 15 minutes and look at yourself the way a lead seller does.
- Open your state's UCC search. It's usually on the Secretary of State's website. Many states let you search for free.
- Search your exact legal business name. Then try the version without "LLC" or "Inc," since filings aren't always typed clean.
- For each filing, write down the file number, the file date, and the secured party (the funder).
- Put those dates next to your call log from Part 3. If calls jumped the week after a filing, you've found the likely source.
- Mark any filing tied to an advance you've already paid off.
That last list is where you can act.
The paid-off filing: ask for a termination, in writing
A paid-off advance with a filing still showing active tells every lead seller you're a live borrower. You can ask the funder to clear it. Send something close to this, from an email you control:
"Our advance under [contract or file number] was paid in full as of [date]. Nothing further is owed under it, and there is no commitment to fund. Please file a UCC-3 termination statement for financing statement [file number] and send me a copy once it's filed."
Keep the sent copy, the same way you did in Part 2. Then check the state search again in a few weeks.
Be honest with yourself about what this does. It fixes the public record so it says what's true. It won't recall a list that's already been sold.
The rights behind it (scoped honestly)
- UCC filings are public by design. Article 9 says a financing statement gives the debtor's name, the secured party's name, and the collateral (UCC § 9-502).
- A filing usually stays effective for five years after it's filed, unless the secured party continues it (UCC § 9-515).
- If nothing is owed and there's no commitment to fund, the debtor can send an authenticated demand. The secured party then generally has 20 days to file a termination or send one to the debtor (UCC § 9-513(c)). The same section has separate rules for receivables that were sold, and many MCAs are written as a sale of future receivables. If a funder pushes back, that's a question for a lawyer.
- Each state adopts its own version of Article 9, so check your state's statute and filing office rules.
- None of this changes your phone rights. The National Do Not Call Registry covers personal numbers, not business lines (FTC: Do Not Call Registry FAQs).
- FCC rules say a caller needs your consent before an autodialed or prerecorded call or text to your wireless number. You can revoke consent in any reasonable way (FCC: Stop Unwanted Robocalls and Texts).
Whether a law covers a given call depends on the call and the line. Your filings plus your call log are a record you can use to report calls or bring to a lawyer. For the bigger map, see Know Your Rights.
This week
- Run the UCC search on your business name tonight.
- Line up filing dates against your call log.
- For every paid-off advance, send the termination request the same day.
- Add one question to the Part 1 script: "Where did you get my number?" Write the answer in your log, even if it's "won't say."
Next part: the screener. How an AI receptionist or your phone's built-in call screening can screen broker calls before you ever hear a ring.