The food and drink you can buy at sports stadiums and arenas varies. In addition to the quality of what’s offered, you want to be mindful of the food safety standards, for example, which ESPN measured and scored at every U.S. stadium. And believe it or not, when you attend a game you should also be on the lookout for scammers (real scammers, not just the vendors charging too much for food!).
Case in point: According the Miami Herald, last month a food vendor was arrested “for charging a fan $724 for two beers” at a Miami Dolphins game. The man “grabbed the fan’s card and swiped it using a personal card reader, not the device the stadium provides to vendors, according to the police report. Shortly after the transaction was processed, the fan received an alert from his bank notifying him of the steep charge to his card. It also displayed the vendor’s name.”
The takeaway
The takeaway here is not that Miami Dolphins home games are any more trouble than other games are. In fact, the scammer in this story didn’t work for the Dolphins or their stadium (Hard Rock Stadium). Instead, he worked for a company called Rocket Man, “a Kentucky-based subcontractor that employs walking vendors at major sporting events and concerts.” Rocket Man vendors, the Herald notes, “are recognizable by their lime-green uniforms.”
This story does, however, offer a reminder that you should set up credit card fraud alerts and check your credit card statement regularly, especially after a trip. If you get scammed, you want to know as soon possible. It’s unlikely that you’ll run into a scam at a professional sporting event in the U.S., but you never know. Use a good credit card (like one of these) when you travel to protect your purchases, as the credit card company will often refund you for fraudulent spending. Above all, no matter where you go, remember to travel smart!
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