McDonald’s $24M Monopoly Scandal! In 1987, McDonald’s launched the Monopoly game, a marketing idea that overnight boosted their sales by 40%. People loved collecting game pieces from their food to win prizes, from free meals to $1 million cash. But there was a shocking truth. Jerome Jacobson, the man in charge of keeping the game secure, ran a massive $24M fraud scheme. Over 12 years, he stole winning pieces, built a network of fake winners, and claimed almost every major prize! In 2000, the FBI