Below is an example of a lottery scam email. Any reputable lottery company is not going to inform the winners via a random email. Also notice the "hotmail" email address. Another tell-tale sign of a scam.
Rule of thumb: mark this one as SPAM and delete it! If it sounds too good to be true, it is probably a scam!

Example scam email:

Date: Fri, 28 Sep 2007 21:00:04 -0400
From: "Mrs. Diana Banker"
Subject: Ref No: BOL-C/ 18-F0672312
Ref No: BOL-C/ 18-F0672312
Batch No:801/00515/HOP
Zonal Draw No: GMLA2-006
Grand Draw No: 15021

Attention: Lucky Lottery Winner,

We are pleased to inform you that your email address was selected among
the four lucky winners of British International E-Lottery Promotion
Sweepstakes held recently as part of our Experimental Bonanza. Winners
were selected through a computer ballot system drawn randomly from a pool
of over 100,000 names of e-mail addresses from World Wide Web in all
over Europe, America, Asia, Australia, New Zealand, Middle-East, parts
of Africa, and North & South America.

You have therefore been approved to claim a total sum of 250,000 GBP
(Two Hundred and Fifty Thousand Great British Pounds) in cash credited to
file BOL/9023110508/02. This is from a total cash prize of
1,000,000.00 GBP shared amongst the four (4) lucky winners in this category.

To file for your claims, please contact our claims director (Mr.
William Freetown) who is to guide and facilitate the release of your funds.
Ensure you provide him with the requested information below:

* FULL NAMES:
* CONTACT ADDRESS:
* TELEPHONE NUMBER/FAX NUMBER:
* AGE:
* OCCUPATION:
* NATIONALITY:
* BATCH NUMBER:
* REFERENCE NUMBER:

Mr. William Freetown
Claims Director,
Email: williamfreetown5@ hotmail.com
TEL: +447011132785

Regards,

Mrs. Diana Banker
Online Coordinator.