Don't ignore your spam folder. It's how this woman learned she won a $3 million lotto

NPR | By Rina Torchinsky

Published January 24, 2022 at 9:34 PM EST

In this Thursday, Aug. 16, 2012 file photo, lottery scratch-off tickets and other items for sale are displayed at a Sunoco gas station and market in Lapeer, Mich.

A Michigan woman struck gold in her spam folder.

Laura Spears, 55, found out she won the lottery earlier this month while digging for a missing email in her junk folder. Spears says she purchased the winning ticket seeing an ad on Facebook for the Mega Millions jackpot. Just a few days later, she stumbled on the victorious message.

"I couldn't believe what I was reading," Spears told the Michigan Lottery. "It's all still so shocking to me that I really won $3 million!"

Spears says she confirmed her winnings by checking her online lottery account. She won $1 million dollars, which then tripled with the Megaplier, which can multiply non-jackpot prizes.

Spears plans to share her winnings with family, and retire earlier than she had planned, according to a release from the Michigan Lottery.

The Oakland County resident said she added the organization to her safe senders list, just in case she gets lucky again.

A family in Arizona won the last Mega Millions jackpot at $108 million in October 2021. The current jackpot is valued at $396 million.

The next drawing is scheduled for Tuesday. In the meantime, it might be a good idea to check your spam folder.