HeA fast food crime gang scammed millions from McDonald’s Monopoly game, ultimately leading to the game’s ban in the United States.
The McDonald’s Monopoly game was once a popular promotion, offering customers the chance to win big prizes.
However, a major scandal in the early 2000s swindled millions and led to the game’s ban in the United States.
This is the story of how a crime ring manipulated the game and made a fortune.
The Monopoly game was introduced by McDonald’s in 1987.
It encouraged customers to buy meals to collect stickers representing properties on a Monopoly board.
Players could win instant prizes or collect sets of properties for larger rewards, including cash and cars.
The game was very successful, increasing sales by 40%.
FBI uncovers McDonald’s Monopoly fraud led by Jerome P. Jacobson
In 2001, the FBI began investigating the game after receiving a tip.
They noticed that members of the same family won several large prizes. This raised suspicions about potential fraud.
The investigation revealed that Jerome P. Jacobson, a former police officer, was at the center of the scheme.
Jacobson was in charge of security for Simon Marketing, the company that managed the Monopoly game for McDonald’s.
He had access to the winning game pieces and used this position to his advantage.
Instead of letting people win prizes fairly, he stole them and gave them to friends and family.
How did the man scam millions from the game?
The scheme began when Jacobson realized he could manipulate the distribution of winning game pieces.
Jacobson and other auditors sometimes received instructions to deliver winning tickets in sealed suitcases to factories.
Jacobson discovered he could cheat the game after receiving a package of seals.
These seals allowed him to open and reseal stickers, letting him swap winning tickets for losing ones.
To avoid suspicion, he and his family found buyers willing to pay thousands for the winning tickets.
Jerome sold a $200,000 ticket to his butcher, Hoover, for $45,000.
He also involved his nephew in the scheme with the same deal and even mailed a $1 million ticket anonymously to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
FBI investigation leads to arrest in McDonald’s Monopoly scam
The FBI’s investigation deepened when they began to wiretap Jacobson’s phone.
This revealed more connections between him and the prize winners.
They discovered that Jacobson linked most individuals claiming big prizes.
The FBI even followed Hoover and recorded conversations that implicated Jacobson further.
As the investigation progressed, the FBI worked with McDonald’s security to catch Jacobson in the act.
They paused the payout of winning tickets, which caused panic among those who had won.
Many called Jacobson, not realizing that law enforcement was listening in.
This gave the FBI the evidence they needed to arrest him and over 50 accomplices in August 2001.
The man was ultimately jailed for McDonald’s Monopoly’s biggest scam
In the end, Jacobson was sentenced to 37 months in prison and ordered to repay $12 million.
It was estimated that he had stolen around $24 million worth of winning game pieces over 12 years.
His actions not only harmed McDonald’s but also ruined the fun of the game for countless players.
Due to the scandal, the Monopoly game was eventually banned in the U.S., although it continues to be played in other countries like Canada, Ireland, and the UK.
McDonald’s later stated that they were committed to ensuring their promotions were fair and transparent.