13 January 2024 , 16:11
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An elderly couple who won a £1million lottery jackpot were left outraged when their local shopkeeper tried to steal their winnings - by telling them they had misread the ticket.
Farrakh Nizzar - who worked at his cousin's shop Best One in Oldham, Greater Manchester - misled the couple by telling them their EuroMillions ticket was worthless before trying to claim the prize for himself. Believing the story, Maureen Holt, 78, and her husband Fred, 80, who knew Nizzar by his nickname Lucky, told him to bin the ticket - but he instead kept the proof of win.
But little did the Holts know that when Nizzar scanned the ticket, a message requested that he get in touch with Camelot. However, this soon backfired when he was unable to offer any information about the ticket. Camelot was unsure of Lucky's claim and went on to scrutinise CCTV footage from the shop - only to discover that the ticket had actually not been bought from the same shop he worked in.
Fred and Maureen Holt after winning £1million (PA)The winning ticket was actually bought from the Tesco Extra in Oldham, where Mrs Holt had used her Clubcard. It led to Camelot being able to use her personal Clubcard data in order to track down the couple and inform them that they had actually won the prize.
In July 2012, Nizzar pleaded guilty to one charge of fraud by false representation committed on May 31 that same year. Nizar bowed his head and made no reaction as he was jailed for 30 months at Minshull Street Crown Court in Manchester in August.
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Passing sentence, Recorder Philip Cattan told the defendant: 'This goes to the heart of public confidence in the National Lottery. The courts must demonstrate to you and to others that this type of fraud will be met by significant custody.' Detective Constable Kate Carnally, of Greater Manchester Police, said: “To cheat an elderly woman and try to claim the money for himself was both callous and underhand.”
Since the trial, the couple have claimed their £1million prize and said they wanted to spend the money on their children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren, reports The Sun. A spokesperson for Camelot said it's important that individuals verify potential lottery wins before offering tickets at the shops.
The spokesperson added that all claimants must undertake strict security processes to authenticate the ticket and validate their status as the rightful owner. They continued: “The success of the National Lottery is built on player trust and the sentence handed down to Mr Nizzar provides clear evidence that Camelot will not allow that trust to be undermined in any way.”
At the time, court recorder Philip Cattan said: “This goes to the heart of public confidence in that the National Lottery benefits good causes. You acted in breach of trust – her's and the shop which employed you.”