FuryOfFirestorm: If the old man didn't sign the ticket, then how could the police know who really owned the ticket?

You can tell when and where the ticket was purchased. You ask them both for that information.

The way to be a winner is the lottery is to wait until the deadline to claim is about to lapse and then claim it. That way the lottery officials and press have less interest in publicizing your winning. You might also want to hire a lawyer to keep them at bay.

/not that I won the lottery or anything
//other than $5.00 on a scratch off
///also the people that take the lump sum are complete morons

FuryOfFirestorm: If I had a winning lottery ticket worth millions, I wouldn't tell anyone except lottery officals. I'd even record myself signing the ticket, just as a precaution.

When you win the lottery, do they have to announce your name, or can you request to be anonymous?

I think it depends on the state, but my plan has always been to change my name to something else legally, then turn the ticket in and then change it back.
That way all the people who hound you won't be able to find you as easily.
I think you also have to provide an address, so I'd rent an apartment for a couple of months too.

appetite4destruction: It would have been difficult to hand that ticket back, and everyone reading this knows it, whether you will admit it or not.

fark old people winning the lottery. WTF are they going to do with the money? Give it to a televangelist? Buy more dentures and Depends? Go to Old Country Buffet AFTER 4pm, because now they can afford to pay the dinner rate?

I am willing to admit I would have been tempted to keep the ticket myself.

just die now and decrease the population.

Owned.

/Next customer plz.

How difficult is it to determine yourself if you are a winner?

RandomExces
Farking waste on a old geezer. Should have let the deli clerk keep the winnings.

Say, I would like to talk with you on joining the Republican Party Ethics Comm. Our beliefs are that the rich should take as much as possible from the poor and I believe you would fit in nicely. However, since you are now jobless and poor, get lost.

We have self-service checking terminals now, the clerk is not involved. You just go to one side of the counter, put your ticket's barcode under the laser and it tells you if and what you've won. If it's over a certain amount, the machine tells you who to phone to start the process of getting the big payout. The ticket never leaves your hand.

FuryOfFirestorm: If the old man didn't sign the ticket, then how could the police know who really owned the ticket? It would have been the old man's word vs. the deli clerk's. I wouldn't be surprised if the deli clerk takes the old man to court over ownership of the ticket or part of the winnings.

The original store knows who bought the ticket. They are backing the guy up.

kent_eh: Vandall: Deli?

Isn't that where most convenience store clerks come from?

/jk

ZING!

FuryOfFirestorm: If the old man didn't sign the ticket, then how could the police know who really owned the ticket? It would have been the old man's word vs. the deli clerk's. I wouldn't be surprised if the deli clerk takes the old man to court over ownership of the ticket or part of the winnings.

If he does, I sincerely hope someone shoots him in the head.

I work in the industry.

The single best thing you can do to prevent this kind of idiocy is to sign the back of your ticket when you buy it. Where I live retailers are not allowed to check the ticket without a name on the back. Second, always make sure you check the generated payout slip to ensure you receive the correct payout.

For some further reading look into the recent stories about retailer fraud in Ontario. It was found that retailers were claiming lottery ticket prizes at statistically impossible rates. It's a no-brainer to assume that many retailers are either not paying out the prize or are paying out a reduced sum and cashing the ticket themselves. Local authorities found that many of the lottery ticket checking machines had been illegally altered (prize screens turned away from customers, sound devices meant to alert customers had been disabled) to achieve this.

Knowing I had a ticket worth millions in my hand would turn me into the most paranoid person until I had that thing turned it.

I'd be making copies, scanning images into my computer, double plastic bagged, taped to the middle of my chest - no one knows a thing until I quietly show up at the lottery office and even then... is there a desk just past the front door? Can I trust the first person in there I meet?

/realizes I have a better chance of having a meteorite kill me in my own bed tonight...

Panty Sniffer: The way to be a winner is the lottery is to wait until the deadline to claim is about to lapse and then claim it. That way the lottery officials and press have less interest in publicizing your winning. You might also want to hire a lawyer to keep them at bay.

/not that I won the lottery or anything
//other than $5.00 on a scratch off
///also the people that take the lump sum are complete morons

Only an idiot would NOT take the lump sum, not only do you get the benefit of enjoying the money immediately but you will make more money in the long run on safe investments, not to mention you could die or the lottery commission goes bankrupt one day and can no longer afford to pay you.

What the deli clerk may have looked like



"NO TICKET FOR YOU!"

Rich Cream: Next headline: Elderly man uses new found riches to hire thugs to beat deli clerk sensless.

heh heh

So uh, I thought anything over $299 was a felony?

My dads cousin won ten grand on a scratcher in California 30 or so years ago.

He mailed the original ticket to the lottery commission.

He got his dough, but Jeebus!

/that clerk deserves firing
//and beating
\\and, and public censure!
\because everyone knows that public censure works

Elderly man asks deli clerk to hand him back his winning lottery ticket. Deli clerk: "What ticket?

Karma is a funny thing.

Gunderson: He didn't sign the ticket because he didn't know it was a winner. He just asked the clerk to scan it to see if it was a winner. The terminal plays music if you won now, to prevent clerks from scamming patrons like this.


So hypothetically, if this clerk had kept a ticket on hand that won a minor prize, say $5.00 or something like that, he could have redeemed the shiat ticket for the old man, kept the grand prize winner, and the dude would have been none the wiser? If he's going to be an asshole, he needs to learn how to be smart about it. Not that it matters now; considering the value of the ticket he's probably looking at felony charges.

A few years ago, I helped broker a deal for our client "Mining Company A" to buy some shares of a "Mining Company B" that were owned by "Mining Company C". They were actually physical share certificates (hadn't seen those for years, haven't seen one since), so I got the bank draft from "A", gave it to "C", and got the "B" share certificate. That was a negotiable instrument worth about one million dollars. You'd better believe I was paranoid about holding onto those overnight before I could deliver them to "A". I didn't have a safe or bank safety deposit box, so I tilted up a big filing cabinet and slipped them under that for the night.

Oh, and while a bit "covert" and done privately off the stock exchange, this transaction I describe was entirely legal.

GoldDude: A few years ago, I helped broker a deal for our client "Mining Company A" to buy some shares of a "Mining Company B" that were owned by "Mining Company C". They were actually physical share certificates (hadn't seen those for years, haven't seen one since), so I got the bank draft from "A", gave it to "C", and got the "B" share certificate. That was a negotiable instrument worth about one million dollars. You'd better believe I was paranoid about holding onto those overnight before I could deliver them to "A". I didn't have a safe or bank safety deposit box, so I tilted up a big filing cabinet and slipped them under that for the night.

Oh, and while a bit "covert" and done privately off the stock exchange, this transaction I describe was entirely legal.

Cool story, bro.

When I was living in Michigan, one of my regular customers at the bookstore was an older gentleman that was very nice but also very obviously well off. Turned out he'd worked in South America for decades, transporting valuable metals and mined gems. He was never jumpy, but you got the sense from talking to him that he kept track of every goddamn bit of activity going on around him out of sheer habit.

He had some neat stories. And by neat, I mean I'm never doing that job.

appetite4destruction: fark old people winning the lottery. WTF are they going to do with the money? Give it to a televangelist? Buy more dentures and Depends? Go to Old Country Buffet AFTER 4pm, because now they can afford to pay the dinner rate?

I am willing to admit I would have been tempted to keep the ticket myself.


Holy biscuits you're a friggin' dick. I'm only 41 myself, but I know several 70+ folks that are in pretty good damn shape. Perhaps this guy may have wanted to share it with his progeny (look it up, slack-jaw).

I'd love it if one of my elders won wayyyy more money than they could possibly spend on themselves. Things would be mighty nice for me and my sibs.

"Uh, can I have my ticket back please"

"Thanks you come again"

"But.."

"I SAID THANK YOU COME AGAIN SIR!"

Just try it with either of these old gents.

Aim for someone less "grizzled".

Oh that's just part of the wrapper... lemme throw that away for ya...

/run home Charlie
//run as fast as you can!

FuryOfFirestorm: If I had a winning lottery ticket worth millions, I wouldn't tell anyone except lottery officals. I'd even record myself signing the ticket, just as a precaution.

When you win the lottery, do they have to announce your name, or can you request to be anonymous?

It may depend on the laws of a particular lottery, but here in TX at least, lottery winners are a matter of public record.

That said a thoughtful lottery winner has several months to actually claim the prize, and would be wise to set up a trust to claim the prize (with help of lawyer and financial advisor). Done properly, the winners can be effectively anonymous as a result.

I farking hate how its always the old people who win lotterys wtf.

ultraholland: appetite4destruction

make sure to call me when you've made it through 72 years of life only to have some scumbag take all of your shiat; I will appreciate the amusement

no shiat. it was a douche nozzle reply.

I was expecting to find this in the link (15:57min NSFW):

The dishonest clerk was also stupid. After scanning it, he should have said, "Hey! You're right! You're a thousand dollar winner! Hold on a second, let me open up the safe in the back, and I can pay you right now."

Greed314: Panty Sniffer: The way to be a winner is the lottery is to wait until the deadline to claim is about to lapse and then claim it. That way the lottery officials and press have less interest in publicizing your winning. You might also want to hire a lawyer to keep them at bay.

/not that I won the lottery or anything
//other than $5.00 on a scratch off
///also the people that take the lump sum are complete morons

Only an idiot would NOT take the lump sum, not only do you get the benefit of enjoying the money immediately but you will make more money in the long run on safe investments, not to mention you could die or the lottery commission goes bankrupt one day and can no longer afford to pay you.

Was looking for this after I read the initial derp. "I know, I'll count on a faceless corporation to be honest/extant for 20 years along with a literally infinite number of other variables that could conceivably prevent me from collecting a huge portion of my winnings."

fark old people winning the lottery.

I have news for your son, old people like money just as much as anybody else.

Two idiots at work. Unfortunately it doesn't turn out this well for the idiot with the right.

The douche is strong with this one.

But do not worry.



"Greed is good."

Wolverines: The clerk is a farking dumb ass. You have to kill the old farker after taking the ticket.


*takes down advice*

Fox News? It's probably all lies.

FuryOfFirestorm: If I had a winning lottery ticket worth millions, I wouldn't tell anyone except lottery officals. I'd even record myself signing the ticket, just as a precaution.

When you win the lottery, do they have to announce your name, or can you request to be anonymous?

I think it depends on the state. Not sure what the rules are here (haven't had to worry about that...)

He can now afford freedom.

KhamanV:
In a past lottery thread, someone had a very good outline of what to do and I wish I'd copied it.

That may have been me, because I'm a sad, sad individual who dreams of winning the lottery when it's just not going to happen to me. Here's what I wrote previously. I keep it in a file on my computer on the oft chance I do win because I will not be thinking clearly enough to remember it all...

Also, I'm aware that this is indeed a Cool Story, Bro.

Begin Quote:
"Regarding TFA, it's telling what a little due diligence would prevent. If this guy isn't running off with the money, a sheet with the tickets purchased would have saved incredible amounts of headaches.

When my department does the big lottos as a pool, I get the tickets, make photocopies, add all our names to the sheet and make sure everyone involved gets a copy. If someone isn't there, it's on their desk and if they owe me money, I know they're good for it. The copy is their ticket if we win. The names also prevent me from locking someone out who should be in the money.

I even do a split with one woman for two $5 tickets a week for Mega Millions or Powerball, whichever is higher. I get the tickets and make a photocopy. It's nice as I don't mind $5 a week in stupid tax but $10 is too much (if that makes any sense).

The rule of thumb I've read is that with the cash option, you end up with 30% of the advertised amount of money in the jackpot. This basically supports that theory.

The cash option is definitely the way to go. It allows you to invest the money how you choose. Even at the worst, you can swing 2.5% interest/dividends on your money and with 10 million, that's $250k a year and you still have the 10 million in your pocket. Compare that to the annuity option, where you get $300k a year over 26 years and don't have that 10 million.

Here's what you do when you win the lottery:

1. SIGN THE BACK OF YOUR TICKET. Maybe even put your social security number on it. If you win and you, for some odd reason, let it out of your sight for a minute and lose it, no one can claim it but you. If you go through all the paces below, it may be a few days before you can claim. Signing is one step to protect yourself.

2. TELL NO ONE. This has a few meanings. First, so you can keep your head on straight, at the least, no one but your partner should know about it if you're married. Otherwise, only you. You need to be making clear decisions for a little bit and the more people offering their opinions will obscure that. Once you nail down the next few steps, tell only those family and friends you trust fairly well and keep the circle as small as you can. Those who are of this level would be deserving of something imo, so a paid off mortgage or new car will likely keep them from blabbing.

The other half of it is TELL FREAKING NO ONE ELSE. Your coworkers and boss? No. Just vanish. Stop coming to work, tell HR that you have to quit for an unspecified reason and never look back. No one is due the courtesy of knowing why if it means losing your now extremely valuable privacy. Even coworkers you've worked with for a very long time. They are not your friends if you don't talk to them outside of work. Friends you just met or have only known for a short time shouldn't be told until you know they can keep their mouth shut. Lie through your teeth when asked by people you can't avoid (stupid family members, neighbors). You'll have a lot of free time coming up so take some of that time to have preplanned answers for everyone. It also helps to adhere to rule #8 to the letter.

If you don't know why this rule is so important, imagine getting calls from people you went to high school with trying "to get reacquainted with you just because they want to" or any you know in any capacity looking for a handout. Your desire for money should be replaced by your desire for privacy. Oh, and for the love of god, never mention it online.

The problem with lotto pools at work is twofold: one, you can't expect everyone you work with to be smart and quiet about it so you will be a known winner and two, everyone in the building is going to notice an entire department never coming in again.

3. CALL YOUR LAWYER, FIND A LAWYER. If you have a lawyer already, time to call his homeline directly. He'll be more than happy to get the news he is the attorney of a millionaire. If you have a trusted lawyer in your trusted circle of family and friends, call them ahead of anyone else and they're your new lawyer. If neither is the case, it's time to do some searching to find a lawyer who has experience or even specializes in this sort of thing. You do nothing else until you have representation with you. Nothing.

4. HAVE THE LAWYER SET UP A BLIND TRUST. This should be done the next sentence after you tell your counsel that you won. This is the ultimate tool for broad anonymity. There is a list on every lotto site of past winners. It can either say your newly formed trust (DIAF Investements) and nothing else, or Mr. and Mrs. Giant Target For Scams from Bumfark, Idaho. Always opt to decline press releases as well if asked even if it just mentions the name of the trust and the lawyer holding the trust. You can have a small modicum of fame with a lottery win but it will do nothing but harm you.

5. GET A FINANCIAL ADVISOR. Before you even set foot into the lotto claiming offices, you want to know exactly what you can and can't do with your money and what to expect out of it. That's why you need a financial advisor. If you happen to have one or know one, you're ahead of the game. Otherwise, take the time to seek one out.

6. TRY TO SLEEP ON IT. No doubt your head is going to explode, but before you begin the process, sleep on it so you can make sure the decisions you've made are the right ones.

7. GO GET RICH. What exactly happens at this point is unknown to me, otherwise I wouldn't be making this post. Enjoy your new workfree life, you lucky sack of shiat.

8. YOU ARE NOT ON MTV CRIBS. The most important thing to perserving your privacy is don't be a dumbass with your money. Take the moron in TFA, a $1.8 million house? Really? Aside from the fact that he probably has no idea if he can afford the property taxes (in NJ, this is like a second mortgage), upkeep and utilities, he's also stating he's rich. Not a bright move. You want a sustainable lifestyle for the rest of your life and for your kids. An almost $2 million house is not it when you have $14 million. Plan to bank most of the money you win. Take no more than 25%-35% to spend on yourself and those who you trust. The rest must never be touched. What I said about the cash option is what you need to do.

With $14 million, I'd take $4 million and leave 10 (I'm a fan of round numbers), I would pay off about 6-7 mortgages including my own (in NJ, that's a good $2.5 million), buy trusted but not as close friends fun stuff, put a good chunk in my house (new roof, new lawn, repave the driveway, maybe a small addition... note, I didn't say buy a new house), get my fill of useless crap and take a couple trips to Hawaii. Whatever's left of the $4 mil will sit in a bank account for use, to be supplanted by my interest/dividend checks off the $10 mil. The goal is to be a grandfather and still have that $10 million (I'm 30 years old with no kids btw).

As it turns out, the family that lives across from my sister won $3 million in the normal NJ lotto. Although my sister, who rarely talked to them previously, knows they won, you'd never be able to tell. They didn't move, they bought a new SUV but not one that would ever stand out and renovated their house. Smart. Granted, the amount they won wasn't extreme enough to allow for the bling blong lifestyle but they didn't go crazy on the outside, which protected their anonymity a bit.

Wow. I feel really pathetic that I not only wrote this, but have this all planned out for myself and thought about it in detail. Because, you know, I'll never win. Back to work tomorrow.... *sob*"

If somebody who came to the lottery office to claim a large payout worked for a lottery retailer, would they be under more scrutiny?

The aforementioned deli clerk

KhamanV: FuryOfFirestorm: If I had a winning lottery ticket worth millions, I wouldn't tell anyone except lottery officals. I'd even record myself signing the ticket, just as a precaution.

When you win the lottery, do they have to announce your name, or can you request to be anonymous?

In a past lottery thread, someone had a very good outline of what to do and I wish I'd copied it. Basically, the FIRST thing you should do is get with a lawyer. Get him checked out, obviously, bonus if you have a family lawyer that has a history of not dicking you over. The lawyer will advise you and may be able to set up a sort of 'front' for accepting the winnings. In many states, the identity of the winner is required to be public, but you *may* be able to dance around that by setting up a "Farktopia Incorporated" or something.

The other advice had to do with careful investing, savings portfolios, and then getting the fark out of town for a while before your rathole family members come crawling out for a piece.

There was an article in Wired awhile back about a guy who helps people disappear. Take it in your real name and then vanish off the face of the earth to piss everyone off. It would be hilarious. You can hide behind shell corporations and fake names as long as you're not defrauding anyone out of legally owed money.

what's the going rate for a murder there, $5,000? 10,000? The old man can now afford to get everyone who ever pissed him off whacked.

The downstairs neighbor who vacuums every morning at 6:30. The mongoloid wigger grandson who plays rap too loud. The waiter who always brings his soup cold. The car salesman who sold him a Vega in 1973. The ex-clerk who tried to rip him off for $14 mil.

/be very afraid

appetite4destruction: It would have been difficult to hand that ticket back, and everyone reading this knows it, whether you will admit it or not.

fark old people winning the lottery. WTF are they going to do with the money? Give it to a televangelist? Buy more dentures and Depends? Go to Old Country Buffet AFTER 4pm, because now they can afford to pay the dinner rate?

I am willing to admit I would have been tempted to keep the ticket myself.

I might have thought about it as a fantasy, the way I would think about shooting inconsiderate drivers or farking my friends' girlfriends, but that's not the same as being tempted.

portnoyd: Oh, and for the love of god, never mention it online.

I won $50 million last week so I am getting a real kick out of these replies.

Since FOX News was reporting this story, I nearly shiat a brick when a mugshot of a black person wasn't included. Not because I think black people are thieves, but because Wharrgh Garrgh Obama White Slavery Stealinmonies Wargh.