Hundreds of Aussies try to IMPERSONATE $100million Powerball winner as life-changing prize remains unclaimed one year on

Published: 02:44, 9 June 2026 | Updated: 02:44, 9 June 2026 Hundreds of Australians have tried to cash in on an unclaimed $100million Powerball prize a year after the winning ticket was drawn.  The unregistered ticket was purchased at the Bondi Junction Newsagency and Internet Cafe, in Sydney's eastern suburbs, in June 2025.  The winning numbers for draw 1517 were 28, 10, 3, 16, 31, 14 and 21, and the Powerball number was 6.  Newsagency worker Grace Martino told NewsWire that hundreds of people had tried to claim the prize in the last 12 months. Each claimant must fill out a form stating the purchase date and time, details not disclosed publicly and only known to the ticket holder. 'I don't know how many people have been in to fill the claim form over the last 12 months. Quite a few hundred, I'm sure,' she said.   'But the thing is, people need to ask all the right questions and the most important answer is what time it was when they bought the ticket. 'They have a 10-minute window which has to be correctly filled out, and people ask all these questions.' Hundreds of people have been trying to poach a $100million Powerball win that has remained unclaimed for a year (pictured is the newsagent where the winning ticket was purchased) Ms Martino said some claimants had asked if she can check the security cameras to find what time the winning ticket was bought.  'I say, "Yeah, we have cameras but that can't tell us when we sold it",' she said.   A Lott spokesman told Daily Mail he wasn't surprised false claims were being made.  'Certainly a prize of this magnitude can draw some attention,' he said.  'At the end of the day, the best way to claim a prize is to present the original ticket.' If the original ticket is found by another person, they would be able to claim the prize because it is treated like cash. All available evidence about the prize has been gathered, including CCTV, but the footage can only be used to confirm a claimant once they self-present.  '[The evidence] is not information we can release, as it could be details used to help validate the rightful owner when they come forward,' the spokesman said.  If the original ticket is found by another person, they would be able to claim the prize because it is treated like cash (stock image) 'As a general rule, CCTV would only be used to validate someone who has come forward. Under our licence and privacy requirements, we also cannot disclose information about any of our winners without their consent.'  While tickets have gone unclaimed in the past, the Lott spokesman said this was an unprecedented situation. 'We are certainly entering uncharted territory as we haven’t had a prize of this magnitude go unclaimed for this long,' he said.  'Keep an eye out for any lottery tickets lying around the home, car or office and any nook and cranny where you may put your lottery tickets. 'This is also a great reminder to register your tickets to The Lott Members Club because if this player had registered their ticket, they would be enjoying their prize already. 'By registering your in-store or online lottery entry to The Lott Members Club, not only are we able to contact you straight after the draw if you win big, but your prize is secure.' No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.