Here are key points for avoiding scam lotteries:

1. You cannot win a legitimate lottery if you have not entered it.
2. In almost all cases you must purchase a ticket to enter a legitimate lottery.
3. You never have to pay to collect winnings from a legitimate lottery. You pay taxes AFTER you you receive the winnings. There are no other fees.
4. If you hold a winning lottery ticket, you notify the lottery (they do not notify you; not by email, not by phone, not by mail).
5. It is illegal under U.S. federal law to play ANY foreign lottery from the United States. Many other countries have similar laws. for example, you must be a Spanish resident to play the El Gordo lottery.
6. Since scammers simply invent new names for their fake email scam (the email is the scam, not any persons or companies named in the email)s, it is more accurate to say that if you do not see the lottery on the list of legitimate lotteries, it is probably a scam.
7. If it isn’t conducted by a government or government-authorized charitable organization, it can’t be a legitimate lottery

*If you believe you have received a solicitation in the guise of a sweepstakes which is an illegal lottery, you should contact your local post office or state Attorney General’s consumer protection office.

source: http://www.consumerfraudreporting.org/lotteries.php

I am Mr. Mark Andrew From Harlsden, North West London, here in England. I work for
Natwest Bank Corporation London. I am writing you from my office that will be of an
imense benefit to both of us. In my department, being the assistant manager Greater
London Regional Office, I discovered an abandoned sum of £15 Million Great British
Pounds Sterling (Fifteen Million Great British Pounds Sterling) in an account that
belongs to one of our foreign customers Late Mr. Thompson Morrison, an American
citizen who unfortunately lost his life in the plane crash of Alaska Airlines Flight
261 which crashed on January 31 2000, including his wife and only daughter.

The choice of contacting you is aroused from the geograpgical nature of where you
live, particularly due to the sensivity of the transaction and the confidentiality
herein. Now our bank has been waiting for any of the relatives to come-up for the
claim but obody has done that. I personally has been unsuccessful in locating the
relatives for 2 years now, I seek your consent to present you as the next of
kin/Will Beneficiary to the deceased so that the proceeds of this account valued at
15 Million Pounds can be paid to you.

This will be disbursed or shared in these percentages, 60% to me and 40% to you. I
have secured all necessary legal documents that can be used to back up this claim we
are making. All i need is to fillin your names to the documents and legalise it in
the court here to prove you as the legitimate beneficiary. All I require now is your
honest Co-operation, Confidentiality and Trust to enable us see this transaction
through. I guarantee you that this will be executed under a legitimate arrangement
that will protect you from any breach of the law.

Please, provide me the following, as we have 7 days to run it through. This is very
very URGENT PLEASE.

1. Full Name.
2. Your Direct Mobile Number.
3. Your Contact Address.

Having gone through a methodical search, I decided to contact you hoping that you
will find this proposal interesting. Please on your confirmation of this message and
indicating your interest will furnish you with more information. Endeavor to let me
know your decision rather than keep me waiting.

Regards,
Mr. Mark Andre
Tel: +447035911298
Private email: mk-andrewss@hotmail.co.uk

In a few extreme cases, I have read that people were actually kidnapped and/or killed when they have traveled to other countries to make financial arrangements. It’s been a while since I’ve read that, so not sure where I saw it.

You can search the internet for info on Nigerian 419 scams.