National

Man thinks call from lottery is a scam — until he answers a second call. ‘Unreal’

A man thought an email and phone call from the Michigan lottery informing him of his win was a scam until he picked up the second call.
A man thought an email and phone call from the Michigan lottery informing him of his win was a scam until he picked up the second call. Getty Images/iStockphoto

A 57-year-old Michigan man saw an email saying he had won a $100,000 prize, but he deleted it thinking it was a scam.

Later, he got a call from Michigan lottery officials saying the same thing. He hung up, again thinking it was a scam.

After he picked up a second call from lottery officials, he finally believed that his winnings were true. The Wayne County man had won $100,000 in a random lottery drawing, officials said in a March 6 news release.

“It was an unbelievable feeling and still feels unreal!” he told Michigan lottery officials.

The winner had entered into the Feb. 15 drawing by scanning non-winning 500X Money Maker tickets, officials said.

“I scanned quite a few 500X Money Maker tickets for second chance entries,” he told officials.

He plans to use his winnings to pay for his kids’ college tuition and save, he told officials.

Wayne County is about a 20-mile drive southwest from Detroit.

Many people can gamble or play games of chance without harm. However, for some, gambling is an addiction that can ruin lives and families.

If you or a loved one shows signs of gambling addiction, you can seek help by calling the national gambling hotline at 1-800-522-4700 or visiting the National Council on Problem Gambling website.

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This story was originally published March 6, 2024 at 5:37 PM with the headline "Man thinks call from lottery is a scam — until he answers a second call. ‘Unreal’."

Kate Linderman
mcclatchy-newsroom
Kate Linderman covers national news for McClatchy’s real-time team. She reports on politics and crime and courts news in the Midwest. Kate is a 2023 graduate of DePaul University and is based in Chicago.
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