COST OF LIVING CRISIS

With the price of goods and energy going through the roof, RailStaff looks at the background to the cost-of-living crisis and what you can do if you’re struggling.

Unless you’ve been avoiding the news or haven’t checked your bank balance in the past six months, you’ll be more than aware that the cost of living has rocketed. The price of goods and services rose steadily throughout 2021, but in March this year inflation reached its highest point since 1992, which, combined with supply chain bottlenecks, sent the price of goods and services skyward.

One driver of inflation has been energy prices, which have been creeping up for some time due in part to a return of global gas demand as pandemic restrictions were lifted, along with lower-than-normal production of natural gas. The pressure for consumers was compounded on 3 February when the energy regulator, Ofgem, raised the domestic energy price cap by 54%.

So far, so depressing. But to make matters worse, in late February, the first major European war since 1945 broke out. While the suffering of the British public can’t be compared to those in Ukraine, the conflict has pushed oil and gas prices up further, dealing yet another blow to those standing on the financial precipice. Though prices have since fallen back slightly, they remain above their previous levels.

Worryingly, the conflict may have a further an impact on food prices. Russia and Ukraine are important producers of numerous agricultural products. As a major producer of fertilisers, Russia has restricted exports, pushing prices up around the globe. It is also feared that Ukrainian farmers, impacted by the conflict, will be unable to tend their crops sufficiently, the impact of which will be poor harvest in the summertime. Long term effects are feared, and the UK’s National Farmers’ Union has warned that the disruption to food output may last for years.

REPORT BY MATT ATKINS

SORRY STATISTICS

The average UK earner has been feeling the pinch for some time, but in the past 6 months, belts have tightened considerably. According to the latest figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS), around 87% of UK adults reported an increase in their cost of living over the previous month in March 2022. This compares to around 62% of in November 2021.

The ONS report - The rising cost of living and its impact on individuals in Great Britain: November 2021 to March 2022 – also found that almost a quarter (23%) of adults found it difficult to pay their usual household bills in March 2022, compared with a year ago; an increase from 17% in November 2021. The most common reasons reported for increased cost of living were increases in the price of food shopping (88%); gas or electricity bills (83%); and the price of fuel (77%).

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Unsurprisingly, the ONS reported an increase in borrowing, with 17% of adults reporting borrowing more or using more credit than in March 2021. Forty-three percent of respondents said they would be unlikely to save money for at least the next 12 months.

It’s clear then that the financial noose has tightened significantly, coming straight after the economic pressure brought by the Covid outbreak. Shrinking pay packets and rising costs means that the pressure on households is building and the situation is unlikely to change for some time.

But when many people are already at breaking point making further cuts to daily spending is impossible. What exactly can be done to help ease the pain?

FOOD COSTS

The immediate concern for many is putting food on the table. With costs surging, how do you avoid cutting back on the basics?

According to the government-backed Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP), the average UK family wastes around £700 of food each year. This is an easy win if you’re looking to save on food costs, and you can avoid some of this waste by freezing items that are about to go out of date. You should also remember that ‘use-by’ and ‘best-before dates are two very different things. If something’s passed it’s ‘use-by’, it’s no longer fit for consumption, so throw it out. However, the best-before date is just an indication of how long a product is in its best condition. You don’t need to bin something that’s passed its ‘best before’ by a couple of days.

Buying food in bulk is one way to bring down the cost of your shop. Tinned foods, pasta, and rice are often cheaper if you purchase them in large quantities from a wholesale retailer. And even if you’re sticking to the supermarket, multi-packs of these items are much more cost-effective than individual items. Remember, it’s also wise to switch to the own-brand versions of these non-perishable items. You’ll be paying much less for exactly the same produce.

Cooking in bulk is another way to bring down costs. If you can put aside an hour or two, you can save an impressive amount by batch-cooking meals and storing portions in the freezer. Curries, casseroles, bolognese, and soups are great candidates for batchcooked meals, although finding the time can be difficult and your plan may be scuppered by any fussy eaters in the family.

Avoiding convenience stores can save you money. Shops such as Tesco Express and Sainsbury’s local often charge more for products than their larger counterparts. You’re paying extra for the convenience of a local store, but your wallet will thank you for travelling a few extra miles.

Another way to cut down your food bill is to change supermarkets completely. It’s startling how much you can save just by shopping at another store. Customer choice champion Which! analyses thousands of prices every month to find out which supermarket is the cheapest. Lidl was the cheapest supermarket in March 2022. A basket of 21 groceries currently cost an average of £26.83, while the equivalent at Waitrose would have cost £36.04.

You can find the Which supermarket price comparison page at: www.which.co.uk/ reviews/supermarkets/article/supermarketprice-comparison-aPpYp9j1MFin

ENERGY BILLS

Keeping the house warm is next on the list of essentials. Although we’re now through the worst of the winter months, it’s not summer just yet. Heating costs remain problematic for many, so what do you do if you start to fall behind on payments?

Anyone falling behind with their energy bills should contact their supplier as soon as possible, says Ofgem. According to the regulator, energy suppliers can’t just cut off your supply and customers should be able to negotiate a new, affordable payment plan.

As well as a review of your payments and debt repayments, your supplier may offer a payment break or payment reductions; more time to pay; access to hardship funds; and advice on how to use less energy. Whatever help you receive is decided on a case-by-case basis, and repayment must be based on your ability to pay.

Contacting your supplier is much more urgent if you’re on a pre-payment meter, says Ofgem, as you may face disconnection. All suppliers offer emergency support which includes emergency credit if your meter runs low or runs out; ‘friendly hours’ credit if topup points are closed or your meter is running low; and extra credit support if you are in a vulnerable situation, though you will need to pay this back when next you top up.

Additional support credit may be available if you can't afford to top up, says MoneySavingExpert. What you can get, how this works and if you're eligible will depend on your supplier. In general, this type of credit is usually only available for people in vulnerable situations, such as those of state pension age, or those with a disability or long-term medical condition, but even if you're not in a vulnerable situation, your supplier could still help if you're unable to top up.

If you’re still struggling, many energy suppliers have charitable trusts and funds that can help if you're in debt and struggling to repay. They offer schemes and grants to help with energy costs, to replace faulty or old boilers, and help to make your home more energyefficient.

A number of energy firms offer support, but you'll usually need to be a customer of the firm to apply, the application process for help with energy debt is quite rigorous, and you’ll need to have already spoken to a debt adviser before you can apply.

For more practical tips on how to save energy while staying warm, MoneySavingExpert has published a guide titled ‘Heat the human not the Home’. The guide investigates the cheapest ways to keep yourself warm, from hot water bottles to electric gilets, and can found at www.moneysavingexpert.com/utilities/heat-the-human-not-thehome-save-energy. DON’T SUFFER IN SILENCE

If you’re fighting financial difficulties, remember - you’re not alone. Thousands of people across the country are battling to keep their heads above water for no fault of their own. The current financial landscape is a result of world events beyond our own control, and no one who’s struggling should feel any sense of shame.

Remember also that there are many organisations you can turn to for support, both within and without the Rail industry. These include:

Citizens Advice. If you're in England or Wales, you can speak to a trained adviser on 0808 223 1133 or fill in online form and they'll respond by email. If you're in Scotland, you'll need to speak to your local Citizens Advice Bureau.

StepChange is a debt charity that provides free debt advice to people in England, Scotland and Wales. You can contact it on 0800 138 1111 or get online debt advice.

MoneyHelper is sponsored by the Department for Work and Pensions, and provides free, impartial and confidential money guidance to anyone in the UK. You can contact it on 0800 138 7777, or via webchat, email or WhatsApp.

Railway Mission is a Christian faith-based charity offering independent, confidential, impartial pastoral care to the railway community and members of the public affected by rail operations. The charity provides counselling support for a wide range of issues including financial difficulties. It can be contacted by phone on 0203 887 7000; by email at office@railwaymission.org; and online at www.railwaymission.org/contact-form

Railway Benefit Fund (RBF) is the only UK charity solely dedicated to supporting current, retired and former railway employees and their families through tough times. It’s monetary grants and access to expert advice can help you overcome tough situations which may impact your financial, family, mental and physical well-being. The team can be contacted by phone on 0345 241 2885; and by email at support@railwaybenefitfund.org.uk; or online at www.railwaybenefitfund.org.uk/contact-us.

EXPERT COMMENTARY

DC RICHARD GENTLE, CYBER CRIME UNIT, BTP

Cyber threats to national security, businesses, and private individuals are increasing, and several million cases of fraud and computer misuse are reported to the police each year. Cybercrime can take many forms, targeting supply chains, operations, and finances by exploiting human and security vulnerabilities. Matt Atkins spoke to DC Richard Gentile, a Detective in the Cyber Crime unit of British Transport Police (BTP), to discuss the threat of cybercrime to the rail industry and how organisations and individuals can avoid becoming a victim.

Hi Richard, thanks for joining us. To start, could you give us a brief outline of your role and the work that BTP does to fight cybercrime?

Hi Matt, thanks for having me. BTP don’t just police the railway by offering visible uniform presence – we also have a whole host of crime departments including a Cyber Crime Unit just like any other police force. We have four working pillars that we call the ‘Four Ps’. These are: Protect, Prevent, Pursue and Prepare.

The Protect strand is effectively cybercrime awareness and crime prevention, while the Prevent strand is the ability to identify young individuals who commit cybercrime offences and offer them alternative paths within the commercial world to steer them away from hacking and committing cybercrime.

The Pursue strand is the active response to cyber-attacks on the railway and members of the public who become victims of cybercrime. We have two teams of detectives dedicated to the response aspect. The final strand is Prepare, which goes hand in hand with the Protect strand and that aims to buildg resilience for business via tabletop exercises and similar activities. Can you give us an overview of the types of cybercrime that the rail industry is exposed to? How well prepared are the rail network and companies within the wider industry?

The railway industry, just like any other, is exposed to cybercrime and all businesses involved in the railway, regardless of size, need to bolster and strengthen their capability to keep themselves safe from cyber-attacks.

One of the methods that cyber criminals tend to deploy is being able to reach a company they wish to target and infiltrate it via their supply chain. Therefore, it’s really important for the wider industry which acts as a supply chain to the Network, train operating companies, and freight companies, to maintain good cyber standards and keep good cyber hygiene practices within their business.

Has the Covid pandemic had any effect on cybercrime? Has the behaviour of cyber criminals changed since an increasing number of us now work from home?

Covid-19 has allowed a digital transformation across several industries and has arguably accelerated the rate of cyber-attacks and changed the cyber security landscape.

As people work from the comfort of their own home, cyber criminals have found new and ingenious ways to target employees and exploit the situation to their advantage, with targeted phishing campaigns and an increase in reconnaissance through social media.

New types of scams have also emerged, playing on people’s emotions. One such scam touted the availability of vaccines for Covid-19, prior to them actually being created and rolled out.

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COMMENTARY

© LeoPatrizi What types of attacks are motivated by financial gain? Are you seeing an increasing number of increasing attacks on rail companies?

When we think of hostile actors within today’s digital environment, we need to think of Organised Crime Groups (OCGs), Nation State actors, and Hackers. Broadly speaking, these are the main three actors. The motivation of OCG’s is most defiantly financial gain, while the hacker’s motivation can sometimes be financial gain but is mostly around kudos.

We have seen an increase in both cyberenabled and cyber-dependant crime on the railway especially Ransomware, where a company’s data is held at ransom with the premise that if money is not paid within a time frame set by the criminal, it will either be destroyed or leaked on the dark web. We’ve definitely seen an increase in these types of attacks, hitting train operators and their supply chain.

What measures can companies take to protect themselves from financial cybercrime? Are companies doing enough to mitigate the risk at present?

Keeping to basic standard practices to protect themselves can mitigate quite a number of cyberattacks but, overall, I don’t think companies are doing enough. I believe this is down to the stigma that cyber awareness and education comes with a price tag and is too expensive to invest in, so companies will invest more in technology to try and keep them safe.

There is no real silver bullet to solving the problem of cybercrime and keeping your business protected. But, as approximately 90% of all cyberattacks are due to human behaviour, education and awareness are the best way to mitigate the majority of cyber-attacks.

If we think of there being five layers to defend your business, these would be: (i) Anticipation - the best way to defend against cyber-attacks is to anticipate them, this means being aware of the latest threats and vulnerabilities and having a process to mitigate these; (ii) Education - all employees should be trained on cyber security best practices to know how to identify and defend against potential attacks; (iii) Detection - organisations should have systems in place to detect attacks as they happen so they can respond quickly and minimise damage; (iv) Reaction - having a quick response plan in place and taking steps to mitigate the damage; and (v) Resilience - even if your business is successful in defending against attacks its’s essential to have plans to recover from any damage that occurs.

Going back to the ‘Four Ps’ we discussed, we do have the capability to respond and investigate cyber-attacks if a business is undergoing a cyberattack. However from a Protect perspective, the BTP can offer a whole host of products and cyber education to organisations within the railway industry, and they’re all free. These range from tailored cyber awareness training, cyber escape rooms, tabletop exercises and guidance.

In terms of technology, we offer a free tool called Police Cyber Alarm to help members understand and monitor malicious cyber activity. This service

is made up of two parts: monitoring and vulnerability scanning. Police Cyber Alarm acts as a ‘CCTV camera’ monitoring the traffic seen by a member’s connection to the internet. It will detect and provide regular reports of suspected malicious activity, enabling organisations to minimise their vulnerabilities.

What is the risk of financial cybercrime to the general public? What form do these attacks take and how can individuals protect themselves?

When we think of cybercrime and how it can affect an individual there are a whole host of scams and tricks that members of the public can become a victim to. These include phishing emails - targeted or general emails, where criminals hope you click on a link they’ve sent you; smishing scams which are the annoying text messages you receive where scammers impersonate companies such as delivery companies or banks; romance fraud which can cost victims thousands of pounds; and computer software fraud, with 23,625 reports last year and £27.3 million in reported losses.

One of the more current frauds is Payment Diversion Fraud or PDF. This type of fraud involves scammers impersonating companies that you might already be working with and asking you to pay outstanding invoices.

There are very simple steps that members of the public can take to keep themselves protected and that involves changing their mindset and not ignoring things that can make them more secure such as their mobile or computer asking them to update their software, adopting two-factor authentication, not recycling passwords, and creating strong but memorable passwords that are not easy for a cybercriminal to break.

There is some great guidance around using the ‘rule of three’ to create passwords on the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) website (www.ncsc.gov.uk) and the cyber aware website (www.ncsc.gov.uk/cyberaware/ home) Do you have any predictions for the cybercrime landscape over the next 12-18 months? Do you expect to see an increase in cybercrime as a result of the events in Ukraine?

I think we’ll definitely see an increase in ransomware and far more hostile reconnaissance, especially around business networking platforms from hostile actors such as cyber criminals and OCGs.

Campaigns like ‘Think before you Link’ from the Centre for the Protection of National Infrastructure (CPNI) is a great campaign which provides free assets for organisations to help keep them safe and raise awareness among staff.

Following Russia’s unprovoked, premeditated attack on Ukraine, the NCSC continues to call on organisations in the UK to bolster their online defences. The NCSC – which is a part of GCHQ – has urged organisations to follow its guidance on steps to take when the cyber threat is heightened.

While the NCSC is not aware of any current specific threats to UK organisations in relation to events in and around Ukraine, there has been a historical pattern of cyber-attacks against Ukraine with international consequences. HermeticWiper, a wiper malware used against Ukrainian organisations, has the potential to impact organisations outside of Ukraine. Wiper malware can erase data from the hard drive of an infected computer. UK organisations are therefore strongly encouraged to follow the actionable steps in the NCSC guidance that reduce the risk of falling victim to an attack.

Thanks Richard. Finally, what steps should individuals and organisations take if they suspect they’ve been the victim of cybercrime?

If you suspect you are currently being subjected to a live and ongoing cyber-attack, believe you have been scammed, defrauded or otherwise been a victim of cybercrime, contact Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040. They have a 24-hour contact centre which will inform the police of the crime. For more information, the Action Fraud website can be found at www.actionfraud.police.uk.

If you are a Train Operating Company or part of the railway supply chain and experiencing a live and ongoing cyber-attack once reported to Action Fraud please contact our control room on 0800 405 040.

Organisations or businesses that want to contact us can speak directly to our Pursue team by contacting cybercrimeunit@btp. police.uk. For information on any of our free Protect services, contact cyberprotect@btp. police.uk.

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