Oksana Zaharov: Wrong Lottery Ticket Purchase Results In $5 Million Win For New Jersey Woman
Oksana Zaharov’s wrong lottery ticket is topping headlines this week because she is now a millionaire thanks to her accidental purchase. The New Jersey mom still can not believe her incredible good fortune.
Speaking with local news outlets, the 46-year-old woman says that she has never “won anything” in her life, but now it appears that luck was finally on her side.
“I never win anything,” Zaharov told New York Lottery officials. “I was sure the ticket was fake. It wasn’t until I brought it into the office that I knew it was for real.”
As explained in the New York Lottery’s report, Oksana Zaharov was in Manhattan shopping when she decided to enter a store to pick up a few items. Upon checking out, she asked the clerk for a $1 scratch-off ticket, however the employee gave her a $10 Set For Life ticket by mistake.
“When the clerk handed me the wrong ticket I felt bad so I decided to just go ahead and buy it,” she said in a statement to the New York Lottery. “I actually used the ticket as a bookmark for a couple weeks before I decided to scratch it.”
The woman could not believe what her eyes saw once she scratched the ticket: a minimum payout of $5,000,000 to be paid over 20 years.
According to Fox 8, Zaharov will receive 19 annual net payments $172,068 and one additional net payment of $39,708. After that, she will continue to receive an annual net payment of $172,068 for the rest of her life.
Oksana plans to celebrate her big win with a family vacation to the Bahamas and also plans to put money toward her children’s college education. She says she is happy that she can now provide them with a “loan-free college education.”
Exactly what to do if you win the $440 million #Powerball, according to a financial adviser https://t.co/SxC87QECGG pic.twitter.com/WUIy2c00WD
— Insider Business (@BusinessInsider) January 3, 2018
Meanwhile, lottery players across the country are hoping luck is on their side this week as the Powerball and Mega Millions jackpots amounts rise to historic numbers. The current Powerball jackpot sits at $440 million, and the Mega Millions is at $418 million. This is reportedly the first time U.S. lottery players have had two opportunities to try for jackpots exceeding $400 million, and the second time both have simultaneously topped $300 million. The next Mega Millions drawing is scheduled for 11 p.m. Friday, and the next Powerball drawing is scheduled for the same time Saturday, writes USA Today.
