The folly of owning up to a win of €163 million in the Euromillions lottery has caused a Coimbra family – which only last week said they hoped to create employment and set up a social project – to flee their homes due to the “massacre of requests for financial help”. “We are exhausted,” explained one of the couple’s adult children. The family has been advised to take a “trip” to an unspecified location by the support group for large winners run out of the Santa Casa da Misericórdia gaming department, writes Correio da Manha.
They are unlikely to return until “all the bureaucratic details” of their huge win have been dealt with, and investment plans decided.
Trouble began almost instantly, explained the paper, as the family – described as a “very united, down-to-earth” group – tried to go ahead with their lives in Carapinheira da Serra as normal.
“They continued to frequent commercial establishments in the area, and the winner even told the village that she had been contacted by a needy family which she wanted to help,” said CM.
But then the floodgates opened. Requests for help came in by letter, email, phone and social media. People even tried leaving messages at the newsagents where the mother of the family had placed her winning ticket.
Thus for now the family home is closed, and with any luck the winners are relaxing on some tropical beach and planning their next steps.
