Michigan Woman, 55, Finds $3M Lottery Prize in Her Spam Folder: 'Still So Shocking'
Michigan Lottery
While most spam folders are filled with unwanted advertisements and emails, one woman found a life-changing message hidden amongst the junk.
Michigan resident Laura Spears, 55, entered the Mega Millions lottery on the Michigan Lottery website on Dec. 31 and won $1 million by matching five winning numbers: 02-05-30-46-61, organizers said.
And if winning $1 million wasn't enough, her prize was then tripled to $3 million thanks to her matching the lottery's "multiplier" bonus.
But there was just one issue — Spears didn't know any of this since the emailed notification that she had won ended up in her email account's junk folder.
Spears wouldn't find out about the prize until she opened her junk folder while looking for an unrelated message from someone.
"I saw an ad on Facebook that the Mega Millions jackpot was getting pretty high, so I got on my account and bought a ticket," Spears, who did not immediately respond when reached by PEOPLE, recalled to the lottery. "A few days later, I was looking for a missing email from someone, so I checked the spam folder in my email account."
"That's when I saw an email from the Lottery saying I had won a prize," she continued.
Naturally, Spears said she didn't think the email was real, so she took steps to confirm it for herself by logging into the lottery's website.
"I couldn't believe what I was reading, so I logged in to my Lottery account to confirm the message in the email. It's all still so shocking to me that I really won $3 million!" she said.
Spears recently claimed the money after visiting the lottery's headquarters, and now plans to use the $3 million to retire early. She also plans to gift some of the winnings to her family.
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"I definitely added the Michigan Lottery to my safe senders list just in case I ever get lucky enough to receive another email about a huge prize," she said.
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Of course, winning a large amount of money can be life-changing for anyone, but the moment can prove to be troublesome for many.
To avoid major obstacles, lottery winners should first secure the ticket and retain the services of a financial planner, according to the Associated Press. The winner can step forward for up to 180 days or for up to a year after the drawing, based on the state's rules.
