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A grandmother who has won the National Lottery several times says she has been made to “feel like a criminal” after being put under investigation.
Amelia Barnham, 69, has won an impressive £23,600 from lotto tickets, of which she buys weekly.
The 69-year-old, who spends on average £60 a week on tickets, was shocked to learn she was being placed under investigation for her latest win.
An ex-detective representing new operator Allwyn visited her house, after her latest win of £800 on a £1 HotPicks ticket where she landed three out of the five winnings numbers.
Amelia Barnham has won an impressive £23,600 from lotto tickets
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They revealed that she was being probed due to the staggering number of times she had got lucky and bagged a prize.
The grandmother of three has still not received her winnings from February 3.
“This has stressed me out so much and I am fuming,” she told The Sun.
“I have been treated like some sort of criminal — and having someone come to my house was intimidating.”
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She believes that Allwyn thinks she could be printing out the tickets herself.
Barnham is worried that the incident may deter others from entering draws in fear they too could be investigated if they win.
She said that the investigator was apologetic upon entering her home, though still demanded to see bank statements and her passport.
The trouble all began two days after Barnham went to the Post Office to try and collect her winnings, but was told to contact the Lotto operator.
The 69-year-old spends on average £60 a week on tickets
PA
The 69-year-old was told an investigator would be visiting her home after she sent Allwyn photos of the front and back of the ticket.
She said the whole experience made her “feel very uneasy and upset” and added she thinks it’s “disgusting and disgraceful the way I’ve been treated and the way I’m sure many others have been treated”.
Despite saying to Barnham that he will return within a week, the investigator has yet to make a reappearance.
An Allwyn spokesperson said: “This is a new claims process following the Post Office’s decision to no longer pay National Lottery retail prizes between £500.01 and £50,000.
“Security checks form a key part of the process of validating a winning ticket to ensure we maintain the integrity of The National Lottery.
“All of our players are very important to us and we aim to provide them with as positive an experience as possible, so we’re sorry to hear of Ms Barnham’s concerns and we’ll certainly follow up with her as we’re keen to address those with her.”
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