MCDONALD'S TO AWARD $10 MILLION IN MAKEUP CONTEST
By Adnews Staff
In the wake of recent allegations of theft of contest prizes, McDonald's has undertaken a new contest during which the company will give away $US10 million over five days. The 2001 "Instant" Giveaway will take place from August 30 to September 3. Customers in Canada, the U.S. and elsewhere can win one of 55 cash prizes totaling US$10 million. The Federal Bureau of Investigation is currently investigating a suspected criminal ring in the U.S. that stole high-value McDonald's game prizes. The ring was allegedly led by a security director at Simon Marketing Inc., which handled McDonald's game security. According to McDonald's there was no illegal activity within the company and no employees were involved. Although there was no illegal activity in Canada, the activity in the U.S. may have affected some games in Canada and other markets, according to the company. Full-page newspaper ad ran yesterday informing customers of the investigation and promoting the Instant Giveaway. According to McDonald's, once the FBI has concluded its investigation and determined the total amount stolen, customers will get a chance to win any additional money outstanding. McDonald's has also created an independent task force that will review all procedures for future promotions.