The authorities in Sint-Gillis-Waas (East Flanders) earlier warned that scammers were trying to identify the local EuroMillions winner, who had won €52 million. A couple was doing the rounds of houses saying they worked for the papers, looking for information on the man who won 52 million euros on the EuroMillions lottery recently. Locals told the mayor they worked for daily Het Nieuwsblad, but when the mayor contacted the paper, he heard they were not Het Nieuwsblad reporters. Now it has emerged they were genuine reporters, working for rival Het Laatste Nieuws.
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'Scammers' attempting to track down EuroMillions winner were genuine journalists after all
Colin Clapson
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Several residents had received visits from the journalists. The newsagent, where the winner bought his winning lottery ticket, is located in the neighbourhood.
The mayor claimed a man and a woman were posing as journalists and asking people if they know who the winner of the Euromillions jackpot is.
‘It’s a woman with long blonde hair and a shorter, balding fellow with black hair,’ the mayor earlier told Flemish media. ‘They clearly do not appear to be real journalists.’
Identity of the 52-million-euro jackpot winner remains a mystery
The winner of the 52 million euro winning ticket bought his Euromillions lottery ticket at a local newsagent’s. ‘But we do not know the identity of the winner’ the mayor said.
The National Lottery has confirmed that it is a fellow from East Flanders, but did not release any further details about his identity or place of residence.
Municipal authorities call for vigilance
After a call to daily Het Nieuwsblad the mayor even asked residents to be extra vigilant and not to tell strangers who come ringing at the door anything. "It is apparently attracting fortune seekers wanting to extort money. So be on your guard," the mayor said.
He ordered the police to deploy several extra patrols, but to no avail. Anyone who saw the suspicious duo or is accosted was asked to contact the police immediately, but now it appears they were genuine journalists after all.