AN email scam circulating in Lancashire claims to infect computers with a Trojan virus.

Lancashire Police are urging the public to be on the lookout for the scam.

The email sender claims to have hacked the victim's account and infected their computer with a Trojan virus, allowing them to access personal data.

Recipients are then asked to send a using the online currency Bitcoin within 48 hours to prevent data and files being shared with other people.

Anybody who has received the email - or anything similar - is asked to contact Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040 or via www.actionfraud.police.uk