I won £1.02m lottery jackpot but ignored it because I was being too careful – these things just don’t happen to me
ONE lottery winner has revealed that he ignored a winning call because he thought it was a scam.
David Crowder, 62, won £1.02m after buying three tickets for the People’s Postcode Lottery.
The PH2 9FG area won Postcode Lottery’s monthly Millions prize yesterday taking home the £10.2million pot.
It was the biggest-ever Postcode Lottery win in Scotland with each ticket worth £340,000.
David told The Courier: “I got a missed call on Tuesday and decided to ignore it because I thought it was a scam.”
So, he Googled the number and initially thought he might have forgotten to pay for his tickets, but it turned out during the call that he was a winner.
He said he thought he might have won the £5,000 prize, but with three tickets, the “council guy” from Letham, Perthshire, knew his winnings would be at least £15,000.
David has been playing the Postcode Lottery for “years” and said had a knock on his door yesterday morning at 9am.
When he opened the door he saw a number of cameras.
“They asked me if I wanted to know how much I had won and passed over the first bit of paper to see I had won £340,000.”
But the lottery workers at his door passed him two more of the giant cheques.
He added: “I don’t know how I’m feeling. I’m a bit shell-shocked. I thought £15,000 or even £5,000 would have been a lot, but I’m absolutely stunned.
“I’m overwhelmed, flabbergasted, blown away. My legs feel like jelly and I’ve got a lump in my throat.
“I’m going to have to take a bit of time to get my head round this.
“I like doing things for charities, so why would I not keep playing after this. I’m from a council scheme in Perth and this just doesn’t happen.
“I’ve never been driven by money and I’ve always been a charitable sort of guy. If you can’t help other folk it’s a sad day.”
David, an Army veteran, now plans to take his three mates to Augusta, Georgia, which is the home of the Masters Golf Tournament.
The four-handicap golfer said: “I play with some guys all the time and I’d like to treat them to somewhere nice.
“We’ve been pals for many, many years and played all the main courses in Scotland.
“I’d probably look at Augusta for The Masters and try and play there or even just have a wee look round.”
I don’t know how I’m feeling. I’m a bit shell-shocked
David Crowder
David also added that the win was beyond his “wildest dreams” and said he has been left “absolutely stunned”.
He’s already planning another trip on his own to see long-lost relatives in Australia – and maybe trade in his smart Jaguar F-Pace for another top-of-the-range car.
Family man David also said he wants to use some of the life-changing cash to help out his 37-year-old daughter Aimie and his 32-year-old son Dale.
He said: “I’ve got a son, daughter and two grandchildren. They’ll be benefitting from this. I’ll share it with my family because that’s what I’ve always done.
“This is absolutely life-changing, generationally life-changing.
“I’ve got some relatives in Australia that I’ve not seen for many, many years. That’s going to be somewhere I’d go. I’ve got a cousin there and I haven’t seen her since she was a kid.
“On the plane I’ll turn left to the executive seats! I’ve never been in a position to do that, now I am.
How to play People's Postcode Lottery
People’s Postcode Lottery costs £12 a month to play and there are guaranteed winners every day.
People play with their chosen postcode and are automatically entered into all draws.
When that postcode is drawn, people holding the right tickets inside it win.
A minimum of 33% from each ticket goes to charity.