PUEBLO — The 150th Colorado State Fair wrapped up on Monday in Pueblo. Meanwhile, a News5 viewer recently emailed us about fake "mega pass wristbands" being sold outside of the state fairgrounds. Those wristbands are used for unlimited entry into the fair and unlimited access to the carnival rides.
The mega pass wristbands are sold for $150 at the State Fair, which the viewer claimed they bought. But a few days later after hearing of fake wristbands being sold in the city, they went on Amazon and allegedly found a box of 200 similar wristbands on sale for $25. The wristbands are red without a State Fair Logo or any other symbols.
“We are aware that people are buying wristbands similar to the carnival wristbands on Amazon and other sources,” said Scott Stoller, the general manager of the state fair.
News5 bought a box of wristbands from Amazon and showed Stoller what people were allegedly selling. He pointed out the differences in the wristbands which help protect from fraud.
“They’re a totally different color, and a different texture. And there are other security features that are built into the ones that you just can't get on Amazon,” said Stoller.
Stoller also mentioned the carnival provides the mega passes and most carnival wristbands do not have logos on them. He added, that people try to sell fraudulent tickets and carnival passes every year, and it’s nothing new, but the state fair will still let people go through the fair entrance.
“We're not letting them into the fair just because clearly they made a bad purchase. So we're giving them a little kindness, but the carnival and the carnival ride operators are the ones that are sharing the bad news with them,” said Stoller.
Another concern from the viewer's email was that “the fair has probably lost thousands upon thousands of dollars this year by using generic wrist bands.” However, Stoller said it doesn't necessarily hurt their bottom line.
“The carnival is having their best year ever. So it's not hurting the carnival, but it is unfortunate that people are are doing that.”
Stoller added that if you're buying state fair tickets, make sure you know they're from a good source, or bought directly at the fair.
The Pueblo Police Department is aware of these counterfeit mega passes, and the people involved are also involved in some other cases that they're looking into.
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