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A rail union has hit out at a “cynical and shocking stunt” after a train company emailed staff to promise a bonus to workers who had run trains during the pandemic – only to reveal it was in fact a test of their cybersecurity awareness.
West Midlands Trains emailed about 2,500 employees with a message saying its managing director, Julian Edwards, wanted to thank them for their hard work over the past year under Covid-19. The email said they would get a one-off payment as a thank you after “huge strain was placed upon a large number of our workforce”.
However, those who clicked through on the link to read Edwards’ thank you were instead emailed back with a message telling them it was a company-designed “phishing simulation test” and there was to be no bonus. It warned: “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.”
The leader of the Transport Salaried Staffs’ Association (TSSA) union said it was “crass and reprehensible”, especially given that one worker at West Midlands Trains had died from Covid-19 and many others had fallen ill with the virus.
The 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 – ensuring essential workers were able to travel.
www.theguardian.com
This is pretty similar to what has happened with GoDaddy in December last year.
www.businessinsider.com
West Midlands Trains emailed about 2,500 employees with a message saying its managing director, Julian Edwards, wanted to thank them for their hard work over the past year under Covid-19. The email said they would get a one-off payment as a thank you after “huge strain was placed upon a large number of our workforce”.
However, those who clicked through on the link to read Edwards’ thank you were instead emailed back with a message telling them it was a company-designed “phishing simulation test” and there was to be no bonus. It warned: “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.”
The leader of the Transport Salaried Staffs’ Association (TSSA) union said it was “crass and reprehensible”, especially given that one worker at West Midlands Trains had died from Covid-19 and many others had fallen ill with the virus.
The 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 – ensuring essential workers were able to travel.
Train firm’s ‘worker bonus’ email is actually cybersecurity test
West Midlands Trains workers discover email promising one-off payment is ‘phishing simulation test’
This is pretty similar to what has happened with GoDaddy in December last year.
GoDaddy sent an email to employees announcing a surprise holiday bonus. It was really a phishing test, and those who failed were invited to get more security training.
"Though we cannot celebrate together during our annual Holiday Party, we want to show our appreciation and share a $650 one-time Holiday bonus!"
www.businessinsider.com
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