A COUPLE thought they had been scammed when the National Lottery app said they’d won £1 million.
Graeme White, 35, and his wife Katherine, 36, were convinced it was a “mistake” but were eventually persuaded after doing some digging and receiving a surprise call during their food shop.
It was only when the pair matched the code on their ticket with the winning line and got a confirmation call that they finally believed they were millionaires.
Mr White said he thought “it had to be a mistake” when the couple, both police officers from Cambridgeshire, found out they had won £1 million, adding the win was “life-changing”.
Speaking about the big moment, Mr White said: “I play EuroMillions through The National Lottery app and occasionally get a message saying I’ve won something.
“It’s usually a couple of quid, so when I saw the message I thought, ‘great, that will pay for a lunchtime meal deal at work tomorrow’.
“But when I opened the message it said I had £1,000,000 plus £3.30.
“It had to be a mistake, in my head I thought you could only win a couple of quid or the big jackpot – I didn’t know about the millionaire maker prize.
“I’m a bit of a joker at times so when I turned to Katherine, and told her we’d won the EuroMillions, she didn’t take me seriously until she saw my phone.”
He added: “With us both being police officers we see lots of scams so we were a touch suspicious, things like this don’t happen to people like us, it just couldn’t be real.”
Mr White said they went shopping the next day while waiting for a call to confirm the win, adding: “I wanted it to be true but couldn’t let myself believe it”.
He added: “We both laughed at our first little upgrade – as we treated ourselves to a Nero’s instead of the usual Greggs coffee.
“As we strolled around B&M absentmindedly the phone rang. I took the call and the guy on the phone confirmed the win and actually said ‘Congratulations, you’re a millionaire!’.
“I looked at Katherine and she whooped and then welled up. I don’t know what the other shoppers must have made of us!”
The police officer said the win “changes everything for us”, adding “it gives us breathing space both physically and financially”.
They intend to continue working but with reduced hours.
Mr White said it is important to instil “a good work ethic” in their children, a daughter, five, and a son, three.
He said: “We always wanted to live somewhere rural with plenty of outdoor space for the children – and so we could keep some chickens and goats – but thought that would be something we’d have to wait for years down the line when we were able to downsize.
“However, now thanks to our amazing lucky break we don’t have to wait, our dream home can become a reality, and we can start house hunting right away.
Lottery winners who thought they were being scammed
Georgina Riley, 39, said she almost fainted when she found out her Nottingham street were winners in the People’s Postcode Lottery last month.
Now she and husband Paul, 41, are planning to take their two kids on holiday to the Burj Khalifa and swim with dolphins in Dubai.
She said: “It feels surreal. I was waiting for Ant and Dec to leap out and say that this isn’t real.”
Recently retired grandad Colin, 59, revealed how he was a lottery winner for a whole week before realising he’d actually landed a £76,000 jackpot.
He said his cautious nature could have cost him the cash – but then he spotted a camera crew at his door.
The grandad is among 10 neighbours on his Tyne and Wear street that scooped part of £1million through the People’s Postcode Lottery.
But Colin and partner Gwen say they could have missed out on the sweet £76,923 for being too cautious.
He explained he’d seen emails filling his inbox about the win last week, but quickly deleted them as he thought they were a hoax.
Anne, from Heald Green, Greater Manchester, said she wasn’t interested and tried to hang up as she was told she’d won £100,000 by lottery bosses.
And when the lottery sent her an email, the mum-of-two thought that was “a scam” as well.
Anne, who did not want to share her surname, said: “I told my daughters and they said don’t click on anything and don’t give any bank details.”
It was only when the Postcode Lottery arrived on her street brandishing cheques that Anne peeped around the hedge to see what all the fuss was about.
Hardworking carer Joanne Jobson revealed how she was in utter disbelief after bagging the top prize on Set For Life but her mum was convinced it was a scam.
The shocked 51-year-old, from Hartlepool, County Durham – who now gets £10,000 a month for the next 30 years – woke following a night shift to a message informing her of her good fortune.
She said: “I remember just saying to mum ‘I think I might have won a lot of money!’ and showing her my phone.
“Mum was convinced it was a scam, so I googled the winning Set For Life numbers for the same date to see if they matched – which of course they did.”
“It’s crazy to think, but our 20 year plan has now become our 12 month plan!”
Along with a new home, goats and chickens, the family’s wish list also includes a trip to Disneyland for their children as well as a pet dog.
Ms White said: “We are big Disney fans, so a trip to Disneyland is definitely on the cards for us.
“However closer to home, along with the chickens and goats, we’ve always wanted a family dog – but just didn’t have the space or the time with us both working – it wouldn’t have been fair to the dog.
“But now that’s changed we’re all excited to get a Labrador puppy, especially the children.
“We’ve already started to think of names, and obviously have some National Lottery inspired options on the list including ‘Lottie’ and ‘Millie’!”