They are glamorous and elegant. Fancy awards that would make any small business shine.

"When you see an award like this, you think 'Great! Someone's recognized me for all the hard work I have done!'" said Brian Place.

So when Place with Seattle's BDP Networks received a congratulatory E-mail, he became suspicious.

"I am pleased to announce that BDP has been selected for the Seattle award.." read Place.

Place runs a small IT management company and never knew it was up for an award. But the more he looked into it, the more intrigued he became.

"When I clicked on the Web site, it was a really, really good fake job," said Place.

Place found pictures of plaques with his business name engraved on the outside. There was even a news release recognizing him for the Best of Local Business award.

"Running a small business is fun, but it's a constant challenge and they want to be recognized for their hard work," said Place.

Niki Horace with the Better Business Bureau says watch out. She calls it a vanity scam. Someone bestows bogus awards on companies for their hard work in return for a fee.

"It's probably a guy working out of his apartment. The number will probably change. Give it a week or so," said Horace.

KIRO 7 Consumer Investigator David Quinlan tried contacting the US Commerce Association that offered Brian Place his award.

Recording: "Due to our high call volume please leave a message at the tone..."

And of course he never got through.

"I thought it was really interesting because I didn't know I was up for an award," said Place.

The award company wanted nearly $200 in exchange for the shiny trophy.

Place didn't take the bait. And while BDP Networks may not have a plaque to hang on their wall, Place says his company's reputation is better than an award.

The BBB tells KIRO that most of the vanity scams happen in Alaska, but they have seen an increase in Western Washington. Bottom line: The Federal Trade Commission says the ads are deceptive and violate consumer protection laws.

The complaints are being investigated.

You can check the validity of an award here: http://alaskaoregonwesternwashington.bbb.org/article/beware-business-vanity-awards-are-back-12063