BETWEEN 1989 and 2001, Jerry Jacobson masterminded a scam which manipulated the results of McDonald's Monopoly.

Hit documentary dubbed McMillion$, produced by Mark Wahlberg, tells the story of how he was able to get away with the crime for over a decade and also $24M.

What is McMillions?

McMillions is a documentary series which tells the true life story of how Jerry Jacobson was able to swindle fast food giant McDonalds out of $24 million dollars by manipulating McDonald's Monopoly.

McDonald's Monopoly, for over a decade was how the fast food giant awarded loyal customers.

Prizes up for grabs ranged from a free meal to a million dollars.

These were revealed by peeling off a sticker on the wrapper of a burger or the cup of a drink.

What McDonald's didn't know, however, was that the biggest winning tickets were being stolen and sold to people who had not earned it.

According to HBO: "The series unravels the twisted threads of the fast-food fraud through exclusive firsthand accounts and archival footage featuring the FBI agents who brought down the gaming scam."

It also reveals how some corporate executives of the fast food chain were also defrauded and features the lawyers who worked the case and the undeserving prizewinners who benefitted from the scheme.

The series also tells the story of the culprits along with the individuals who were unknowingly duped to be a part of the fraud.

Who is Jerry Jacobson?

Jerry Jacobson was the mastermind behind the scam.

He was in charge of making sure the promotion was safe and secure.

His job entailed watching the printing of winning pieces, tucking them away in order to hide them in McDonalds packaging.

Before finding work in the private security field, Jacobson was a police officer in Hollywood, Florida.

He began working with Dittler Brothers, which printed the pieces for the game, and subsequently moved to Simon Marketing, who were in charge of producing the pieces.

Jacobson made sure all the winning prizes were won by his friends and relatives whom he would charge a percentage of their winnings in advance.

He sold pieces to his stepbrother, his butcher, who paid $2,000 for a $10,000 piece and to his nephew who earned a $200,000 piece after paying $20,000.

To justify his actions, he said they were in response to executives rigging the game to ensure top prizes went to certain areas in the United States and not Canada.

This sparked ridicule as Jacobson himself did not take his stolen prizes to Canada but rather sold them in order to enrich himself.

Eventually, his scheme grew with the inclusion of middle men who would sell the winning pieces.

How did he get caught?

An anonymous tip received by the F.B.I. in March 2000 caused Jacobson's scheme to come crashing down.

According to the tipster, someone named Uncle Jerry was rigging the McDonald's Monopoly game.

F.B.I . agents contacted McDonalds who began a process of trying to validate the winners.

When tracked, it was revealed that three winners lived within miles of Jacobson's residence.

Jacobson, along with several associates were arrested with a trial which was scheduled to begin in Jacksonville, Florida on September 10, 2001.

The trial quickly became overshadowed by the 9/11 terror attacks.

After pleading guilty to three counts of mail fraud, Jacobson served three years in federal prison.

How to watch McMillions

The four part docuseries is produced by HBO.

However, you can still watch it in the UK.

It is available on Sky Boxsets and to stream on Now TV.

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