Some Alpharetta businesses have been getting emails saying they’ve won an award from the “Alpharetta Award Program” and city officials think it’s part of a scam attempting to capitalize on a legitimate city program.

The emails tell business owners they’ve been picked for the “2015 Alpharetta Awards.” It provides a link to a website containing a phone number for more information. The email doesn’t say that to get the award, businesses must pay for a plaque with costs starting at $149.99.

City officials said that such “vanity award” scams aren’t uncommon, and that Alpharetta’s own three-year-old effort saluting excellence in local businesses comes with no costs or strings attached.

City officials said the Better Business Bureau is investigating.

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