iscover ‘Smash and grab’: Cancellation not enough for persistent deregistered renewal provider
BusinessLast month, ASIC cancelled the registered agent status for two business renewal services; however, one of these companies is still in operation and allegedly continues to take payments from small businesses via direct debit.
Having worked with small business owners who have fallen victim to paying third-party renewal providers after they received an official-looking letter for renewal, Affiliation for Business Resilience and Turnaround chair Eddie Griffith (pictured) has told Accountants Daily that since the brand last reported on the matter in June, these providers have begun “going on the offence”.
In a statement provided by ASIC, a spokesperson told Accountants Daily: "If a business provides registered agent services but is not authorised to do so, it may be subject to further action."
Providers Registration Pty Ltd, also known as reg.com.au, and Biz Australia Pty Ltd, also known as biz.com.au had their registered agent statuses cancelled on 5 June 2026; however, ASIC records show that on 26 June 2026, its Application For Voluntary Deregistration of a Company (6010), is unavailable, with director Robert Kaay signing off the removal of a personal address on the company’s record on 2 July.
According to LinkedIn, Kaay is also the chief executive of Biz Australia Pty Ltd.
Accountants Daily viewed an email sent by reg.com.au’s accounts department on 5 July, one month after the entity’s cancellation, to a small business owner who had lodged a complaint that the company was allegedly making direct debit payments without permission.
The email read: “We deny your accountant's accusations and threats and will continue to be proud to offer our great Company Review services to Australian companies.”
“If you do not provide the following information with your complaint, when we are requested to respond to your formal complaint, we will show that you or your accountant deliberately misled the authority or publication where you submitted your complaint and seek advice against you,” the email said.
“You still sound confused, and your ‘accountant’ even more so, so we will clear this up for you,” the email also said.
“Cancellation of the agency status is a step, but my concern is that this is such a profitable model that I think that they're … going for what I would call a ‘smash and grab’, like an exit scam,” Griffith said.
Griffith feared that entities such as reg.com.au may continue to use small-business credit card details in their systems to extract payments, despite their cancelled agency status.
In ASIC’s efforts to crack down on these business renewal service providers, on 5 June, the regulatory body said that reg.com.au and biz.com.au breached ASIC’s registered agent terms and conditions, noting that these cancellations follow an earlier suspension.
“They now need to take enforcement action against the company that’s in breach of [the terms and conditions] … it seems that cancellation isn't enough,” Griffith said.
“This is the first time we've seen a major annual renewal service cancelled — this is after two decades.”
Griffith urged affected small business owners to contact their credit card company and dispute transactions that are “improper … and potentially fraudulent”.
"ASIC is aware of the matter but cannot comment on individual reports of misconduct," the ASIC spokesperson concluded.
Accountants Daily has reached out to reg.com.au, and the Council of Small Business Organisations Australia (COSBOA) for comment.
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Carlos Tse
Carlos Tse is a graduate journalist writing for Accountants Daily, HR Leader, Lawyers Weekly.