I almost lost out on £300,000 because of the Lotto app blunder – make no mistake

A PUNTER has revealed how she missed out on almost £300,000 due to a silly blunder on the Lotto app.

Joanne Jobson, from Hartlepool in County Durham, was left in shock after landing the whopping windfall.

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The dedicated care worker, who cares for children with disabilities, couldn’t believe it when a text message from the National Lottery appeared on her phone.

After waking up from a night shift, she checked her phone and found a message urging her to open her account.

But after signing up to the app, she almost missed the huge jackpot because she thought it was too good to be true.

The 51-year-old said: “I logged into my account and couldn’t believe what I was reading.

“I had to reread the message several times because I thought it was telling me what ‘I could win’, not what I ‘really won’. I jumped out of bed and went to tell my mother.”

But her shocked mother told Joanne it was a scam.

She added: “I remember saying to my mum, ‘I think I might have won a lot of money’ and showing her my phone.

“My mother was convinced it was a scam, so I Googled the winning Set For Life numbers for the same date to see if they matched – which of course they did.”

‘INCREDIBLE’

She scooped the Set For Life award, earning an eye-watering £10,000 every month next one 30 years.

The landslide win means she can be financially secure until she is 81.

She said: “I’m going from working nights and saving hard to being able to buy things when I want and plan holidays that I could only dream of before.”

When she told her two older sisters, they burst into tears of joy news.

Joanne said: “When I told them they both cried – it was very emotional for all of us.

“I think that was also the moment for me when it finally dawned on me that I had really won. I feel so lucky that this happened – it’s just phenomenal.

DREAM MADE TRUTH

With the winnings she can finally buy a house and move out of her mother’s house.

She explained: “I’m so excited to be able to buy my own house and I’ve already started house hunting.

“I was living with my mother and was trying to save for my own house, but was still far from realizing that step. It’s great that I can now make that dream come true.

“I still can’t believe I won. It’s absolutely life-changing for me.”

Joanne hopes to spend her golden years around the world on sun-drenched holidays in exotic destinations including Barbados and the Maldives.

She added: “I might even go on a world cruise because there are so many incredible places I want to visit.”

The devoted daughter also plans to spoil her family and enjoy adventures together.

Joanne, who only started playing Set For Life five months ago, said she never thought she could win.

She added: “I didn’t think things like this would happen to real people like me, but I’m proof that they do.”

It comes as a lottery winner told he will never play again after feeling like a criminal and being forced to wait weeks to get his money.

Paul Simpson, from Leicester, was thrilled when he won £800 on a HotPicks ticket before spending weeks looking for his prize.

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