Can you imagine what would have happened when somebody who received a one of these stolen nengajo got lucky and tried to cash it in to "win" 500 yen?

Post office section chief steals Y600,000 worth of New Year postcards
Japan Today | 2012Nov23
---A section manager of a post office in Kanagawa has been arrested after it came to light that he had stolen thousands of “nengajo” (New Year postcards)...the suspect, identified as Toshio Abe, 58, stole 12,000 postcards worth around 600,000 yen...more...