Massive Take 5 Lotto Prize Won at Central New York Convenience Store

Someone from Central New York just won one of the biggest Take 5 jackpots in history. Is it you?

If you purchased a Take 5 ticket in Utica, listen up. Chances are it just scored you a "top-prize winning" jackpot.

The Winning Numbers...

The New York Lottery announced someone matched the numbers for the recent Take 5  drawing held over the holiday weekend, where a $32,000 grand prize was up for grabs.

In a press release, lottery officials announced:

TAKE 5 numbers are drawn from a field of one through 39. The drawing is televised twice daily at 2:30 p.m. and 10:30 p.m. A lottery draw game prize of any amount may be claimed up to one year from the date of the drawing.

The winning ticket was purchased at the Fast & Easy Convenience store located on State Route 5 in Utica and had the winning numbers of 08, 09, 20, 23 and 24.

Read More: 5 Luckiest Places in New York to Buy Powerball Tickets

This was the sole winning ticket, meaning someone has scored a fabulous prize worth $32,614.50!

There were also 140 New York residents who won $349 for matching four numbers - so you might want to double check your tickets because that's also a nice lump of cash.

Claiming Your Prize

If you are the lucky Take 5 winner, the New York Lottery says you need to do this next:

Depending on how much your prize is, there are a few ways for you to claim your winnings. To claim your prize, you will need the original ticket. For your protection, sign the back of your winning ticket and keep it safe because it is a bearer instrument.

More steps need to be taken if your prize is over $601.

Lottery officials encourage winners to schedule an appointment to claim their prize at a Lottery Customer Service Center.

Read More: Huge Take 5 Lottery Prize Won at Kinney's Drugs in Whitesboro

Winners can also redeem a prize at a local Prize Claim Center, and this option doesn't mandate an appointment.

The third, and possibly most risky option, is to mail your ticket to the Lottery.

In order to correctly redeem a prize, winners will need to provide:

1.   The winning ticket

2.   A filled-out Claim Form

3.   A valid government-issued ID

4.   A valid Social Security Number or FEIN

It should be noted that winners should make a copy of their Claim Form and winning ticket because there is a bit of a waiting period before the money comes their way - and also because Murphy's Law exists.

From there, the claim will be processed on site and provided to the Lottery’s Schenectady office for processing.

The winner has a year to come forward to claim their prize.

Read More: 9 Coworkers Split $2M Powerball Powerplay Prize in Upstate NY

It should be noted New York is one of several states that don't allow lottery winners to maintain anonymity when collecting their prize.

If you don't want long lost relatives and high school classmates reaching out to you, read below to learn how to protect your privacy.

Lotto winners can protect their privacy in the Empire State

If you don't want family, friends, and total strangers to come out of the woodwork with outstretched hands, then there's several steps you can take to keep the news of your winnings out of the headlines.

The first rule is to tell no one that you won. Even your parents, siblings, best friend or spouse. While you may want to celebrate and shout it from the rooftops that you've won a handsome chunk of change, you should wait until the money is safely in your possession.

It's also encouraged you should consider making copies of that winning ticket and also sign it to prove it's yours. You should also consider securing the original in a trusted place until you're ready to bring it to NY Lotto. Taking these steps can help ensure no one swoops in and claims it was theirs all along.

When it comes to protecting your identity, experts advise you get yourself a P.O. box and an alternate cell phone number, so when you have to fork over that information, it could help redirect those unwanted communications away from you.

It is also recommended that you assemble a team comprised of an accountant, financial advisor and lawyer who are well versed in large windfalls.  This step should be taken before you even think about claiming your prize.

These professionals can help you set up a trust or LLC to claim the prize in your behalf - that is, if you're very serious about keeping your winnings under wraps.

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