TIMBERLAKE, N.C. — A resident of North Carolina, Carl McCain, recently found himself in an unexpected situation after winning the lottery. McCain participated in the Mega Millions draw on November 4th and successfully matched four numbers, securing an $800 prize. “It was a four times winner, so it was $800 that I won,” McCain shared.

Due to the prize amount, McCain had to make the journey from his home in Timberlake to the North Carolina Education Lottery’s regional office in Raleigh to officially claim his winnings.

“I filled the form out and gave them my ticket, and I sat down to wait,” McCain recounted of his visit to the lottery office.

However, instead of leaving with a check, McCain was presented with documents detailing the North Carolina State Lottery Act. According to the act, any outstanding debts to state or local agencies must be settled with lottery winnings, after taxes.

Seeking clarity, McCain reached out to officials in both counties, providing his name and birthdate. Initially, he was told there was no record of debt. But when he supplied his Social Security number, he discovered a troubling issue: “Another man’s number name is hitting off your social security number,” he was told.

McCain says he contacted both counties and provided his name and birthdate, but was told there was no debt. However, when he gave his Social Security number, he says he was told, “Another man’s number name is hitting off your social security number.”

McCain says that was the first time he had ever heard of the issue. He wanted more information, but says he was told it couldn’t be released. He says the counties told him they would look into it. After waiting more than a month with no answers, McCain says he called several more times and was told officials were still investigating.

That’s when he decided to contact ABC11 Troubleshooter Diane Wilson with our Raleigh sister station. McCain says to Wilson, “I told my wife, I said, you know, we need to call Diane Wilson. I said, because I seen her get refrigerators and washing machines so why can’t she get $800 for me?”

ABC11 Troubleshooter reached out to the North Carolina Education Lottery, which confirmed McCain’s winnings were processed properly and sent to Lenoir County. When Wilson contacted representatives in Lenoir County, they said they had been looking into the issue for more than a month and were still working on it. Shortly after Wilson’s inquiry, McCain received good news. He says, “They erased my social security number out of their databank.”

Within days, McCain received a check for his lottery winnings, minus the required taxes. He later told Wilson, “I was glad that you intervened and came to my rescue.”

Lenoir County says the debt tied to McCain’s Social Security number dates back more than ten years and may have been a case of mistaken identity. It’s still unclear how the error occurred. The bottom line: McCain finally got his lottery winnings and says he’s still trying his luck.