GREENSBORO, N.C. — The second round of North Carolina vaccine winners will be notified like the first winners, by phone, and by email. Scammers know this and they work hard at getting your money, so let me tell you what the winning doesn’t include:
- North Carolina DHHS will never ask you for personal information over the phone.
- Any info will be handed over in person at the lottery offices in Raleigh when you get your check.
- You will never be asked to pay a fee to get your winnings.
So, if you get a call and it sounds legit, you can always do what the first million-dollar winner did, you can call me and we can talk through what is being said and asked of you.
The real confirmation was when the winner got a zoom call, not with a still picture, but with Dr. Mandy Cohen herself, live on the other end.
“When Mandy Cohen's face popped up and I thought, this is real, this is actually real,” said the first state vaccine lottery winner, Shelly.
As soon as everyone knew they could hear and see each other, the words most of us dream about hearing were said by Cohen, "You are the first winner of the North Carolina Vaccine Lottery.”
It really could happen to you. But you also need to know the signs of a scam. Don't be afraid to reach out and use 2 Wants To Know as a sounding board.
And here's another thing to keep in mind. The lottery winnings are subject to taxes and certain debts. I asked the spokesperson for the North Carolina Education Lottery about it.
“When you win a lotto prize, there is withholding for taxes, and if you owe any debts to state or local governments then that would be collected from your prize money. You would get the net after the withholding and any debts to state or local governments,” said Van Denton.
The NC Education Lottery office is helping NC DHHS by running the numbers assigned to people to get the winner.