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How long could you stay anonymous for..

(41 Posts)
Yammy Fri 13-Jan-23 10:11:12

I would want to keep quiet about it and know DD's have projects that need sorting that I could help with that would not be questioned by anyone. My father helped us a lot when we first married people still wonder how we coped, we never told.

AGAA4 Fri 13-Jan-23 09:59:20

I haven't bought a lottery ticket for ages but if I did and won I would keep quiet about it and divide the money between my family and I know they wouldn't tell anyone if I ask them not to.

Georgesgran Fri 13-Jan-23 09:51:52

I’ll never win, because I’ve never bought a ticket. SinL did and didn’t tell anyone until after she’d spent most of it.
A huge win would probably take over one’s life - sussing out deserving projects/people and making both large and small donations - perhaps employ a PA, sworn to secrecy to help.
Obviously, the Aston Martin is essential, but I don’t think that would surprise my friends (bar a couple) or neighbours. Otherwise, I’d see my DDs and DGSs have secure futures and buy a little place beside the sea.

OnwardandUpward Fri 13-Jan-23 08:59:57

If I won the lottery not much would honestly change from day to day. We would continue to live where we do but would buy a weekend/holiday home that we could use as a weekend bolt hole.

I am sure we would get a newer car, maybe an electric one, but these days with many people doing lease deals and HP, I don't think that would be too obvious.

I would invest in a property portfolio to leave my kids/grandkids, which would be kept secret until I die. Being estranged from my other son, I definitely wouldn't want him getting in touch just because of a lottery win.

It would be hard to hide a lottery win from our youngest who lives with us, so we would buy him some nice things he didn't already have.

Maybe I'd actually get some plastic surgery (tummy tuck?) or other help to lose weight.

If I win the lottery there is no way I'd tell anyone except those that I live with (and only because I have to)

I would get a solicitor or accountant to donate to local charities for me so I could stay anonymous.

Doodledog Fri 13-Jan-23 01:19:46

Suffice to say that I am off to speak to bytheway’s family tomorrow. . .

crazyH Fri 13-Jan-23 00:28:35

bytheway - you’ve had a big win, haven’t you ? 😂

Zoejory Fri 13-Jan-23 00:26:44

We've lived through this recently. We had a win on the lottery. Lucky Dip. Thrilled we were but as yet haven't told the children. We don't want our lives to change.

£140. 2 numbers more and we'd have been millionaires.

Oh well, maybe next time.

Chestnut Fri 13-Jan-23 00:01:58

I could handle a really big win because I'd donate most of it to charitable causes, leaving enough to help family and friends.

The secret is to tell people you've had a win but not tell them how much. If no-one knows the amount then they cannot be overwhelmed by visions of mega bucks. Just say you've had a 'nice little win' and will be sharing some around. It could be just £1,000 for all they know (not £100 million).

Then you have to behave normally whilst all the time plotting what to do. If you can share the news with someone trustworthy then all well and good.

Mom3 Thu 12-Jan-23 23:04:50

The Super lotto is up to a billion dollars. I thought about buying a ticket, but that amount just seems too overwhelming. I'm not sure winners are able to stay anonymous from the public. I do have fantasies about winning big.

biglouis Thu 12-Jan-23 22:57:28

My grandmother told me family secrets and I kept them for over 20 years until after her death. I am good at keeping things to myself. So I would wish to be anonymous. The only family members I would consider helping would be as close mouthed as myself.

CanadianGran Thu 12-Jan-23 22:54:12

I have been privy to quite a few secrets, some good, some not so much. I can keep mum for as long as needed. We would definitely need time to process a win, especially if it was a big one! That would be a nice problem to have.

As for a lottery win... our lotto announces where there are winners (town is published), and we live in a relatively small town. So gossip would be rampant if it was a big win.

nanna8 Thu 12-Jan-23 22:38:21

I’d stay anonymous and swear the children to secrecy. I trust them, they know what would happen if the world knew. Fortunately I don’t have a Harry!

Callistemon21 Thu 12-Jan-23 22:35:24

It depends how much it is.

I'd want to stay anonymous but firstly, I'd have to buy a ticket!

Doodledog Thu 12-Jan-23 22:34:40

I would want to be anonymous, but I would also want to give money the children, and as you say, I guess it would leak from there, as it would be really difficult for them to balance getting the benefit of a large donation from me with keeping their lives they are, and what would be the point of having ££££ in the bank and keeping their lives as they are?

Perhaps we can come to an agreement, bytheway? If I win, I'll ask you (for a large fee, obviously grin) to tell my lot that a long-lost aunt has died in Timbuktu and made them their heirs, and I will do the same for you if you win?

Seriously, I assume it's one of the things that the Lotto people will advise you about if you win a large sum. They'll have experience in that sort of thing.

BigBertha1 Thu 12-Jan-23 22:33:47

Yes definitely anonymous so that I could good things with no one knowing.

bytheway Thu 12-Jan-23 22:25:32

I’m talking hypothetically of course.
I know a lot of us dream about winning the lottery, how we could help our AC and GC and wider family and charities etc… but does anyone think like I do.

Whilst others dream of all of the above I’m wondering/dreaming that I’d be so overwhelmed I wouldn’t want to tell anyone because I’d need time to let the news settle in. Im quite a private person and very introverted.

I wouldn’t want to tell DH because I know he couldn’t keep it to himself ( even if I said I really needed time to let the news settle) The first thing he’d do is tell the AC, and then I’m pretty sure it would leak out from there. He just couldn’t keep it to himself.

So I’d have to stay stum, I reckon 2 weeks would do it.

Could you do it, how long could you stay anonymous for? Or would you want to?