Mega Millions Winner Advised to Stay Quiet!
The second-largest jackpot in Mega Millions lottery history has been won and someone in Illinois is about to go from rags to riches in true fairy tale style! The drawing on Friday night pulled the numbers 67, 45, 57, 36 and 13 with a “Mega Ball” of 14” and as soon as the numbers were announced, the Mega Millions website crashed instantly!
What happens now? A with all lottery draws, the winner has 180 days from the drawing to claim his or her prize. They can choose to remain anonymous or reveal their identity. There are pros and cons with this one, the biggest drawback being if you make your identity known to the world…
…you are likely to become a target of scams or worse still, death threats, as one former lottery winner revealed how she went from cash-packed to car-jacked in a blink of an eye. “Some of those scammers have falsely identified themselves as being affiliated with Mega Millions,” Mega Millions said. “These scams all have one thing in common: They try to trick you into sending them money or personal information by claiming that you have won a large lottery prize.”
The Best Options for Winners
Top tip: no representative of Mega Millions would ever call, text, or email anyone about winning a prize, which is completely different to the way the National Lottery run things. When you play via mobile, app or computer, tickets are stored on a secure database. When you win a prize you receive an email notification. Larger prizes such as the jackpots will also come with a courtesy telephone call.
Experts believe all lottery winners should stay quiet and hire a financial team before claiming that cash. Having a good financier under your belt can reduce your risks of falling victim to scams or losing your fortune on bad investments. Make sure to vet your financial advisor first, there are plenty of wolves in sheep’s clothing out there.
The Mega Millions winner has two options: the annuity or a cash lump sum. Annuity means the winner will receive one immediate withdrawal followed by 29 annual payments. Each payment is 5% bigger than the previous one. By choosing to receive yearly payments the winner can protect their lifestyle and get the full $1.28bn. The cash lump sum option is grand, but not as grand as it seems…
…instead of receiving the full $1.28bn, the winner will receive a cash sum minus taxes and duty. Assuming the winner is from Illinois where the ticket was purchased, if the cash option is sought they can expect to pay another £37m in state income, taking that massive $1.28bn win to $433.7million. It’s still an impressive sum of money though.
The next estimated Mega Millions jackpot is $20million or $11.6m as a cash option. The draw will be held on Tuesday 2nd of August at 11pm ET.
Source: “Lottery Scams: Some Scammers Falsely Use the Mega Millions Name”. Mega Millions.
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