Oh that works...until you have a last name who's commonality is in the triple digits. Face or not, they're gonna find you.
Legally change your name to John Smith just before claiming the prize.
Even better, establish an LLC or trust and have an attorney collect in its name. Absolutely no one except the attorney would need to know your identity. You shouldn't rush and sign your name on the back of a winning ticket because then you MUST collect publicly in your name. Set up the trust or LLC, then assign the ticket to the trust.
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