Winner of $40m powerball draw located, thought prize was ‘scam’

The winner of Thursday night’s Powerball jackpot was cynical at first about her huge win, with lottery officials initially unable to speak to her.

A woman who claimed a $40 million lotto jackpot has revealed she initially thought she was being scammed.

The Lott was initially unable to reach the woman, from Echuca in northern Victoria, after the Powerball draw on Thursday night.

The unnamed woman realised what had happened on Friday, eventually answering a call from Lotto provider The Lott while at work.

“I can’t believe it; I thought it was a scam,” she said.

“This is really going to take some time to sink in. It won’t feel real until the money is in my bank account.”

She said she was ‘numb’ after receiving the news. Picture: The Lott

She revealed she had big plans for the jackpot, including paying off her home mortgage, quitting her job and spending more time with family.

“We want this win to go a long way. We want to leave a legacy for our family for years to come,” she said.

“This means everything to me.”

The winning numbers were 7, 35, 31, 2, 24, 21 and 15 and the Powerball was 18.

Officials from The Lott said the ticket was registered to an online account and that they had trouble getting in contact with the winner at first.

The Lott spokeswoman Anna Hobdell said she was the only division one winner and would take home the entire $40 million prize.

“When I finally confirmed that life changing news … she was in a state of shock,” she said.

“This $40 million prize is the largest win of any Australian lottery game so far this year.”

Originally published as Winner of $40m powerball draw located, thought prize was ‘scam’