Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • Brightmine
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Free trial
    • Request a quote
  • Webinars
  • Advertise
  • OHW+

Personnel Today

Register
Log in
Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • Brightmine
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Free trial
    • Request a quote
  • Webinars
  • Advertise
  • OHW+

BonusesEmployee relationsData protectionEmployee communicationsLatest News

Rail staff falsely promised bonus in cyber security exercise

by Ashleigh Webber 11 May 2021
by Ashleigh Webber 11 May 2021 Alex Daniels / Shutterstock.com
Alex Daniels / Shutterstock.com

A rail union has criticised West Midlands Trains for a ‘cynical and shocking stunt’ that involved sending out an email to employees that falsely promised bonuses, in an attempt to test their cyber security awareness.

Cyber security

How HR can help in the battle against cyber-criminals

How Covid-19 has added to ‘insider threat’ risks

On 21 April, the train operator sent 2,500 staff an email from ‘Finance and Payroll’ which thanked them for their hard work during the pandemic. It suggested they could expect a financial reward and a message of thanks from managing director Julian Edwards if they clicked on a link.

However, West Midlands Trains later revealed that it was a “phishing simulation test” which was designed by its IT team to test staff awareness of common email scam techniques.

Those who opened the email link later received an email from HR that read: “I am writing to confirm that this was a test designed by our IT team to entice you to click the link and used both the promise of thanks and financial reward to try and convince you to provide your details. This test was purposefully designed to closely mimic the tactics that, sadly, are being used on a daily basis by expert criminal organisations to try to gain access to company data and systems.”

The activity was described by the Transport Salaried Staffs’ Association (TSSA) as “totally crass and reprehensible behaviour”, given that employees had worked hard throughout the pandemic and the fact that one worker at the company has died and many others have fallen ill with Covid-19.

TSSA general secretary Manuel Cortes said: “This was a cynical and shocking stunt by West Midlands Trains, designed to trick employees who have been on the frontline throughout this terrible pandemic.

“They could and should have used any other pretext to test their internet security. It’s almost beyond belief that they chose to falsely offer a bonus to workers who have done so much in the fight against this virus.

“We need to know who sanctioned this email and we need an apology. Moreover, having fraudulently held out the prospect of a payment to staff, WMT must now be as good as their word and stump up a bonus to each and every worker.”

A West Midlands Trains spokesperson said: “We take cyber security very seriously, providing regular training on the subject and we run exercises to test our resilience.

Sign up to our weekly round-up of HR news and guidance

Receive the Personnel Today Direct e-newsletter every Wednesday

OptOut
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

“Fraud cost the transport industry billions of pounds every year. This important test was deliberately designed with the sort of language used by real cyber criminals but without the damaging consequences.”

HR business partner opportunities on Personnel Today

Browse more HR business partner jobs

Ashleigh Webber

Ashleigh is a former editor of OHW+ and former HR and wellbeing editor at Personnel Today. Ashleigh's areas of interest include employee health and wellbeing, equality and inclusion and skills development. She has hosted many webinars for Personnel Today, on topics including employee retention, financial wellbeing and menopause support.

previous post
Acas: Conflict costs employers almost £30bn a year
next post
Queen’s Speech: ‘flexible loans’ for skills development to be launched

You may also like

‘Polygamous working’ is a minefield for HR

14 May 2025

M&S pauses hiring as it deals with cyber...

2 May 2025

Remote working may have triggered jump in employee...

17 Apr 2025

GMC ‘erases’ records on doctors who change gender

21 Feb 2025

What’s HR’s role in ethical AI adoption?

6 Feb 2025

Top 10 HR questions January 2025: TUPE employee...

4 Feb 2025

LinkedIn accused of using user data to train...

23 Jan 2025

Deliveroo, Just Eat and Uber face calls for...

20 Jan 2025

EU AI Act: What HR needs to know

8 Jan 2025

AI Act comes into force in EU: how...

2 Aug 2024

  • 2025 Employee Communications Report PROMOTED | HR and leadership...Read more
  • The Majority of Employees Have Their Eyes on Their Next Move PROMOTED | A staggering 65%...Read more
  • Prioritising performance management: Strategies for success (webinar) WEBINAR | In today’s fast-paced...Read more
  • Self-Leadership: The Key to Successful Organisations PROMOTED | Eletive is helping businesses...Read more
  • Retaining Female Talent: Four Ways to Reduce Workplace Drop Out PROMOTED | International Women’s Day...Read more

Personnel Today Jobs
 

Search Jobs

PERSONNEL TODAY

About us
Contact us
Browse all HR topics
Email newsletters
Content feeds
Cookies policy
Privacy policy
Terms and conditions

JOBS

Personnel Today Jobs
Post a job
Why advertise with us?

EVENTS & PRODUCTS

The Personnel Today Awards
The RAD Awards
Employee Benefits
Forum for Expatriate Management
OHW+
Whatmedia

ADVERTISING & PR

Advertising opportunities
Features list 2025

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Linkedin


© 2011 - 2025 DVV Media International Ltd

Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • Brightmine
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Free trial
    • Request a quote
  • Webinars
  • Advertise
  • OHW+