Which company operated the promotion at the center of the 2001 McDonald's Monopoly fraud?

Simon Marketing operated the promotion at the center of the 2001 McDonald’s Monopoly fraud.

The company administered McDonald’s promotional game and handled prize materials, including high-value game pieces. An employee, Jerome Jacobson, stole winning pieces and passed them to associates, who recruited others to claim prizes. The scheme affected promotions in the United States and Canada over several years.

The fraud was exposed after an informant contacted the Federal Bureau of Investigation in 2001. Investigators found that the group had distributed major prizes, including a $1 million prize, through a network of participants who were not legitimate winners.

Simon Marketing was not the same thing as the criminal conspiracy: the fraud was carried out by insiders and outside accomplices, while McDonald’s was the promotion’s brand partner. The scandal led to arrests and federal charges and later inspired documentaries and dramatized accounts. It is often called the McMillions fraud.