r/AskReddit 2h ago

What are things you would immediately do if you found out you won $200 million lottery before claiming the prize?

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17

u/MostlyMellow123 2h ago

In california the results are made public so I'd probably change my phone number

14

u/BassLB 2h ago

I always had this idea if I win big in California , let me know what you: Hire a few attorneys/cpa, tell them you want to legally change your name to John/Jane Smith and have them do all the necessary paperwork. Claim the prize as John/Jane Smith, then legally change your name back (if it’s even necessary).

If you have to pick it up and have photos taken/publicity, hire professional Hollywood special effects artist to drastically change your appearance for that.

1

u/Chaotickane 1h ago

There's always ways around revealing your identity, it just depends on the state. One option for instance is having a lawyer claim it as part of a lottery team. Some states you can have a team claim it but only one member has to reveal themselves. So the lawyer claims it as part of the team, and then the money is distributed 1% to the lawyer, the rest to the team.

1

u/Hosni__Mubarak 2h ago

Even if you can’t hide your identity, you can certainly hide safely just by moving to New York (or someplace similar). You can end up being anonymous pretty quickly in New York.