The winners of a £57.9 million (US$67.3 million) EuroMillions jackpot were initially told they did not have a winning ticket and it was ripped in half and put in the garbage.
But a message on a lottery terminal in Fred and Lesley Higgins's local Aberdeenshire shop told them to keep hold of the ripped ticket and call operator Camelot.
They were given the torn ticket back, went home and checked the numbers to find they did indeed match and they were the winners of the July 10 jackpot.
But even then, they misread the size of the jackpot and thought they were only £5.7 million richer.
The retired couple, from Laurencekirk, were told that because the ticket had been torn, processing the claim would need to be investigated. A security team spoke to them about what had happened and checked CCTV footage.
Regular player Mr. Higgins, 67, said, "I handed the ticket over and the young man put it through the machine, telling me it wasn't a winner. He ripped the ticket in two and threw it into the bin, as they would with all non-winning tickets.
"But this time, the terminal produced a chitty which said I needed to retain my ticket and call Camelot. The retailer immediately grabbed it out of the bin and handed it to me.
"The ticket had been torn in two but all the numbers were still clear, so I took it back home to make the call. Lesley was snoozing so I thought I would look at the website to double-check the numbers and sure enough, the first matched, then the second matched, match, match — we had them all.
"When Lesley woke, I explained we had a winning ticket and what had happened. I showed her the numbers, asked her to check and she misread them, thinking we were £5.7 million richer rather than an amazing £57 million.
"I felt really calm at that point — I think it was just sinking in — so I then called Camelot and explained what had happened."
Mr. Higgins, a retired Audi administrator, added, "I wasn't ever concerned that we wouldn't get the money as I knew it was an honest mistake — it just had to be looked at to make sure everything was correct."
Once the money was in their account, Mrs. Higgins, 57, handed in her notice from her role as account manager at the Montrose Port Authority.
The couple, who have been married for 35 years, have already bought a brand new Audi cabriolet.
Camelot said, "When validating any major prize, Camelot has to ensure that the winner is the rightful ticket-holder. As the ticket was ripped in two, a range of security checks had to take place."
A spokesman added, "We are so glad to be able to pay Fred and Lesley this amazing sum. It is essential that we ensure we are paying the rightful ticket-holder, and in situations like this it can take a little time for these investigations to be completed."
The couple bought their winning ticket at Scotmid on Laurencekirk High Street, and the winning EuroMillions numbers were 3, 8, 26, 33, and 45, with Lucky Stars numbers 7 and 10.
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So happy for them. Made my morning, a great feel good story with a happy ending!
Be careful of who you hand your Lottery Tickets to!
Way ta go FRED & LESLEY !!!!!!
Wonder how many days or weeks extra it took to complete the verification compared to a non-torn ticket?
Doesn't matter much now...... Happy motoring... Have a fantastic and comfortable life
Congratulations to Fred and Lesley!!
$67.3 million dollars richer.
I never understand why people don't check their OWN tickets by checking the actual numbers themselves against the winning numbers drawn??? Many people hand off their tickets to "unknowns" at some local retailer to see if they are winners. I don't get it. You are talking about potentially millions here and people are just that lazy.
I check my tickets against the winning numbers usually right after the drawing and save all the losing tickets in a box (which are MANY!)
There are many stories about retailers stealing winning tickets from customers because they think they can get away with it. It just makes no sense how this guy had the ticket checked and the kid just threw it away, supposedly because it wasn't a winner??? Very shady. I understand the ticket was ripped in half, but still... What if the kid knew it was a winner? What if it was a mistake??? Who knows...
Too much trust in too many folks out there. Trust needs to be earned! Weather by accident or on purpose, this is just another story as to why everyone who plays lottery needs to check their own tickets against the winning numbers to verify the status of said ticket(s).
Glad the guy got his winnings!!
Another perfect example of why playing by subscription is a more secure way of playing.
I you forget to check your tickets, the lottery will contact you. Also, you can't loose your ticket.
It’s one thing to hand your ticket over for the clerk to check* extremely unwise, it’s quite another for the clerk to tear up your ticket and throw it in the round file, which so happens to be on property.
I recall reading on LP awhile ago, a member saying “ l have been playing at this one spot for years, the store owner knows me, l trust him with my life, he would never cheat me, out of a winning jackpot ticket.” I think l rolled my eyes
or threw up in my mouth...or both.
Actually, I trust the store owners where I buy my tix every day. I truly believe they would not cheat me. I've been buying tix there for at least 10 years almost everyday. I still know what my winning tix are worth before I walk in, mainly because I use them to buy my next set of tix.
Well you found a real gem in a store owner, and l am happy for you rcb.
* All l know is that Cain killed Abel, his brother. Hope you get my drift.
I love this kind of story--enjoy:)
Congratulations to Fred and Lesley. I hope they enjoy a great retirement. However, under UK National Lottery rules, they are entitled to anonymity. I believe they made a terribly decision to go public. The couple will be inundated with requests for help. I hope they are strong enough to say bn.
You will see how friendly people can be when they think you are going to give them money.
Do not expect to be paid back any loans. You are not a bank.
Let the professional employees of Charities care for the poor. Donate to your favorite one.
As Alex Snelius from Chicago, IL a lottery winner said, "Friends and relations are the worst." They even declared bankruptcy.
Yeah, you'd have fair weather friends and relatives whom you haven't heard from in years calling to your beck and call.
Can't remember the financial lady who Good Morning America had on about this. She said the best answer to give is here's my Accountant's phone #! He just says NO.
People too stupid to check their own tickets, do they even deserve to win?