Food truck scam advertises fake permits for Cheyenne Frontier Days

CHEYENNE (WNE) — Police warned community members last week of a scammer emailing food truck vendors by selling fraudulent Cheyenne Frontier Days permit applications and requesting Venmo or PayPal payments.

The scammers are taking advantage of the popularity and prestige of CFD, which draws international attention and is the largest outdoor rodeo in the world.

Scam emails are being sent to food truck vendors across the state. The sender identifies himself as “Michael Francis,” saying he’s a representative of CFD’s official food concessionaire, Fun Biz Concessions.

The Cheyenne Police Department confirmed in a Facebook post that the individual is not affiliated with CFD or Fun Biz Concessions.

CFD CEO Tom Hirsig was made aware of the scam by a local vendor who had previously worked at the rodeo. Realizing how damaging the scam could be, he immediately informed police.

“If anybody ever has a question about whether we’re booking for food people, it’ll be on our website,” CFD CEO Tom Hirsig said. “It’s not going to come as an email to the general population.”

Hirsig encouraged people to turn to CFD’s website to be sure they’re not being scammed. Even if the rodeo were sending emails out to vendors, a notice of that action would be listed on the website.

“It’s just like we tell people with our ticket scammers,” Hirsig said. “If you’re worried about a ticket being a scam, make sure you get it through our website.”

This story was published on March 5, 2025.