Lottery winner collects prize in a ‘Scream’ mask to protect identity from gold-digging relatives
In 2019 Jamaican man won the lottery and went to collect it wearing a Scream mask to protect identity from criminals and greedy relateives
image: Twitter/Supreme Ventures Ltd
A man from Jamaica won a staggering $158.4 million(1 million USD) in the national lottery in 2019, but instead of celebrating openly, he chose to claim his prize wearing a Scream mask in order to protect his identity from money-hungry relatives and criminals. This isn’t the first time a lottery winner from Jamaica has taken such precautions, as a woman known only as N. Gray donned a yellow emoji mask to conceal her identity when collecting her $1.8 million winnings in 2018.
The #SuperLotto winner gets ready to collect their millions!💰 pic.twitter.com/Xg4VluIsOy
— Supreme Ventures Ltd (@SVLGrp) February 5, 2019
The man, who has only been identified as A. Campbell, fell ill upon learning of his win and took nearly two months to claim the prize. When asked about his well-being, Campbell replied, “I’m kinda OK, I’m just a bit numb, a little bit,” as he collected his check at the Spanish Court Hotel in Kingston.
Campbell’s win makes him the fourth person in Jamaica to win the Super Lotto and he plans to put the money to good use by investing in his small business and purchasing a new home. “I want to get a nice house,” he said. “I haven’t found it yet, but I’ll be looking for one soon. I like to handle money. I don’t beg, I don’t borrow. So I’m looking at things that can turn over the money.”
The practice of wearing disguises to collect lottery winnings in Jamaica is not uncommon, as winners fear being targeted by criminals or harassed by greedy friends and family. N. Gray, for example, donned her emoji mask to protect herself from both opportunistic relatives and criminals. She revealed plans to use her winnings to pay off debt and invest in a community center for the youth in her area.
It’s a sad reality that many people feel the need to take such extreme measures to protect themselves and their winnings, but it’s heartening to see when lottery winners plan to give back to their communities and make a positive impact with their newfound wealth.
