FAST FOOD FRAUDSTER

JACOBSON STOLE $24 MILLION BY RIGGING THE MCDONALD'S MONOPOLY GAME

- Ruth McCarthy

We’ve all come across a cheater while playing board games, but no-one has gotten away with manipulation quite like Jerome ‘Jerry’ Jacobson.

Between 1989 and 2001, the scammer rigged the McDonald’s Monopoly game and pocketed $24 million dollars.

His swindle ended when an anonymous tip-off to the FBI led to an investigation and the fast-food fraudster was finally busted. It’s since gone down as one of the greatest heists in history, even warranting the 2020 true-crime docuseries McMillion$.

The promotional game was designed to give people the chance to win prizes ranging from a free Macca’s meal to cars, boats and up to $1 million in cash!

When customers bought food, they received two coloured stickers that mirrored properties from the board game. Matching sets earned a prize.

However, it turned out, not a single ‘winner’ in the US was legitimate!

The sham – orchestrated by ex-cop Jacobson – was plain and simple.

Jacobson had worked with Dittler Brothers, which printed the pieces for the game. He then became head of security at Simon Marketing, the company that made the Monopoly game stickers.