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Apr 17, 2008, 10:44 am (26 comments)
A New York lottery winner said he disguised himself with a marker-drawn beard when he accepted his prize to protect his new fortune from thieves.
Michael Perez, 51, said he used a marker to draw a goatee on his face and further disguised himself with a hat and sunglasses so thieves would not recognize him while he accepted the $14 million ceremonial check from the New York Lottery, the New York Post reported Wednesday.
I've got to look out for my family, Perez said of his disguise.
Perez, a former warehouse worker who recently became unemployed, said he used a portion of his income-tax refund to buy a lottery ticket with six randomly chosen numbers: 1, 8, 10, 31, 52 and 57.
The choice paid off for Perez in the state's April 1 drawing.
The first thing I want to do is take care of all my debts, he said. But before I do anything serious, I've got to go to Disney World.
Thanks to JackpotWanna for the tip
UPI
Congrats to him!!! This win came in just in time for him. I like the going to Dsney World trip, lol. I think if it was me I probably would have showed up in a Hamburglar costume.
O MAN'''''''''i was going to do just that idea,if i ever were to win a lotto jackpot...........
o.........sorry .........congrats to the winner
Congrats to the Perez family! Sounds like the windfall came just when they need it most.
I'll disguise wen I win also.
I have an uncommon last name, so anyone who reads about me & cares would recognize my name.
At first I thought this was a joke, but I don't see how a disguise will make a difference. I can't remember what any lottery winner in the past looks like. I mean, even Jack Whittaker could be standing next to me in the supermarket and I wouldn't have a clue.
This really explains, however, why all winners should remain anonymous. A press conference just makes matters worse. The man is concerned about security and rightfully so. Still, let me win $14 million and I'll deal with it.
I guess there's no law against it, so I think I'll dress up like a dancing cow. The problem is that you have to validate your ticket with a photo ID like a driver's license and/or passport. I just wouldn't know how to explain this:
ROLFAMO! Why didn't he just wait a few days and grow one on his own? Maybe he has missing teeth and THAT would give him away. I have to agree with the other poster....I read these stories, but I have NO idea what they look like now. I don't care that much to memorize their faces. (Especially since NONE of them came from Kansas!)
LOL
But I'm glad he's thinking of these things. He's smart to have a little mad money before he gets serious too. That way he's more aware of the rest of the money.
I have the same problem,
I'd HAVE to claim my lotto winning in trust in order to remain anonymous My last name is extremely uncommon. A disguise wouldnt help me. I'd claim it in trust and wear a disguise for the employees who work at the Lotto headquarters. Wig, dark sunglasses, a fat suit, the works.
You know, he could have done something intelligent, just refused a show and tell meeting. No press interview, no pictures. D-U-H ! Why is that fore-thought, for a lottery winner, is always something left on the roadside next to other rationale thoughts? Painting your face with a Magic Marker? That's as smart as taking your underwear off and placing it over your head! Paranoia is only a problem when some one cares; right now, the numbers show, no one cares! If they did, Brad Pitt would have to live in a cage at the back of the zoo, instead of riding his bike all over the world.
Being female, I am not sure I could get away with drawing a goatee on my face....but then maybe I could.
My last name is also uncommon, but my home, utilities, cell phones, etc are all still in my married name. So maybe I found a reason to keep those things in my old name....
Congrats to him! It sounds like he really has things planned out.
I've got to give the guy credit for trying, myself. But it's not worth the trouble if they know your name, age and location!
Congratulations anyway, Mr. Perez. 
I find it totally ludicrous that the NY lottery dose not allow winners to remain anonymous. State lotteries in Australia allow winners to remain anonymous, it is very unusual for Australian winners to go public.
Glad someone won it and it seems like the guy has some common sense.
As to a disguise- Im going the Bag lady route. Find a flithy trench coat, rat out the hair, blacken the teeth and wear old army boots! No guy would want me and surely no lady would care to invite me to tea. Which is fine by me! The funny thing is....I have a name that is so often confused as being of the asian persuasion yet I am not. Maybe a kabuki dance disguise would really throw folks off!
"Im going the Bag lady route. Find a flithy trench coat, rat out the hair, blacken the teeth and wear old army boots! No guy would want me..."
Aww, I bet you 'clean up' real nice...
Aww thanks Time treat! How kind.
The only reason I said that is some guys are gold diggers and Id do my best to discourage those kind by being less then desirable to the eye :) (not to generalize and say that guys are that way-dont wanna start a debate on that issue)
Eh, give me a hat, wig with matching beard, sun glasses, different clothes from what I ususally wear, something that'd be the opposite of what I would wear and I'd be all set, with a little altering of my voice for good measure. I'd pretty much create a character out of it with a little fun with the questions. Too bad it wouldn't matter at all in my area if my name were to get released. >_> It would keep away most people who have no idea who I am. Unless the state wouldn't allow it, jerks.
I wonder what the LC would do if I showed up to collect my big jackpot and was dressed in a clown costume?
They'll give you that great big check, and then laugh when you try to take it to the bank in your tiny little clown car.
Just so I don't trip over those big shoes and hurt myself.
Wow what an idiot. All that money coming and all the creativity he can come up with is a marker. I will be going as myself, and make others assume it is a disguise. People can find you regardless, it is how you handle it all that matters. No stupid disguise is going to help, it only draws more media attention as proven here.
Yeah, but if you're a guy and you dressup as a woman, maybe it will confuse them. ROFL !
He doesn't want people to know who he is by gave his 1st and last name ,it's silly to me.
Agreed, but he probably couldn't have his name withheld... It was a rather lazy disguise.. If he went with something that could look real (and then not reveal he was wearing a diguise) then at least MAYBE he could tell people it was another 51 year old Michael Perez.
That's smart of him to do that, god knows how many people will hit him up if he would have went out there with no disguise on. Kudos to you playa!
Once you know his name os Michael Perez, 51, and lives in New York. After that, a disguise is mute. The dumbest private investigator, from Uganda, could identify him. Why bother. No one that counts, cares who he is. Lets see, one day you have nothing, the next you're worth millions. A magic marker is going to keep every one from figuring you're the person? He is just another lucky guy. Admit it and get on with your life!