I got this email today - is it a scam?

YAHOO INTERNET LOTTERY
CONGRATULATIONS!

YOU WON 拢300 000!


Yahoo! Mail gives members random cash prizes. Today, your account is randomly selected as the one of 5 top winners accounts who will get cash prizes from us.We are happy to inform you that you have won a prize money of (Three Hundred Thousand Great Britian Pounds sterling ( 拢300,000) for the month of MAY, 2007. Lottery win promotion which is organized by yahoo messenger .com every month.

YAHOO, collects all the mail ID of the people that are online on yahoo messenger, among the millions that subscribe to yahoo messenger we only select five people every month as our winners through electronic balloting System without the winner applying,we are congratulating you for been one of the people selected.All participant were selected through a computer balloting system drawn from Nine hundred thousand E-mail addresses from Canada, Australia, United States, Asia, Europe, Middle East, Africa and Oceania as part of our international promotions program which is conducted annually.

This Lottery was promoted and sponsored by a conglomorate of some
multinational companies as part of their social responsibility to the
citizens in the commmunities where they have operational base.
Further more your details(e-mail address) falls within our British representative office in United Kingdom , as indicated in your play coupon and your prize of 拢300,000 will be released to you from this regional branch office in UK.

We hope with part of your prize, you will participate in our end of year
high stakes for US$1.3 Billion international draw.
HOW TO CLAIM YOUR PRIZE

eeerrrmmm yes it is a scam.

YES i get about 6 a day, do not reply!!!

Bin it immediately.

yes

anything offering free money is a scam, even proper lotteries are a scam if you ask me.

Dis you really need to ask?

yes is a scam

Hi did u enter It?? if not Its spam we've got spam gaurd on our yahoo mail that keeps them out good luck!

Of course it is...are you newborn?

This scam is constant and most people have encountered dozens of these at least.

There's a user of this site who goes under the name "H" who has a standard reply that she copies and pastes as the answer to this question which appears several times every day.
I think I should do the same, because I can't believe that people are so gullible as to believe these emails are true.
Basically, if you haven't entered a competition, you're not going to win it. And, if Yahoo DID run such a lottery, don't you think they would be advertising it everywhere on their web sites?
IT'S A SCAM!!!!

yes they r takin the piss

YES IT IS A SCAM!!!

yes it is spam just ignore it

You don't get anything for nothing, it's a scam do not answer do not give personal information. Just google scam and see how many hits yoou get, there are millions of them and they are all aimed at taking your money.An excellent site giving advice on how to recognise and avoid scams is at www.rz-berlin.mpg.de/~wm/wm-lotto.html Also If you go to the following link you will get some info on ID theft www.identity-theft.org.uk the iinternet is safe enough if you are careful but please answer nothing that you are doubtful about.Good Luck and be careful.

scam and spam ignore and delete.I am surprised so many people here ask these questions about so called lottery win emails we all know they are spam why waste 5 points asking us if it's spam and a con, sorry but I cant believe people are still so guilible.

It's tempting to believe these things, but they are all designed to steal your money.

Look, if you didn't buy a ticket, you didn't win a lottery. If you bought a ticket, you will find out how to claim any prize, it's written on the tickett. Delete the email.