Patricia Pearson didn't know she had a $1 Million winning Powerball ticket.

Patricia Pearson, of Villa Hills, buys lottery tickets just a few times a year, according to a post on the Kentucky Lottery's Facebook page.

In fact, she only went into the Ameristop Food Mart near her home because she found unclaimed tickets while cleaning. The tickets didn't get her much - just $4 - but she used them to buy a single Powerball and Mega Millions ticket.

Then, on Saturday, her Powerball numbers made her a winner. Nearly a week went by and she had no idea.

Ameristop Food Mart in Villa Hills, Kentucky.

When lottery officials visited the Villa Hills store for routine security procedures, store manager Paul Gabis recognized the customer in surveillance video of the purchase.

Gabis contacted the manager of her condominium complex and tracked Pearson down.

"At first I thought he was calling because I'd been trying to sell my condo for the past year and had a sign up at the store," Pearson told lottery officials. "I thought he was calling to tell me to take it down."

Now, $1 million (before tax) richer, she might not even need to sell it.

SOURCE: Keith BieryGolick

It's not the first time unsuspecting winners have been tracked by CCTV...

Kathryn Jones with Lotto Max officials. She was shocked to learn how they tracked her down.

 In a similar story, a mother-of-two from Canada was stunned when lottery officials knocked on her door and informed her she had won $50 Million in Canadian dollars (US$47 million).

Kathryn Jones, a 55-year-old married engineer, had bought the ticket in Cambridge, Ontario - then lost it.

When she heard about the unclaimed ticket through newscasts, she thought nothing more of it until she was confronted with the astounding news on her doorstep.