I need to email three months of bank statements to my mortgage broker and I downloaded them as PDFs. Are PDF files actually secure for sensitive info like account numbers, or do I need to put a password on them first?
Honestly a plain PDF isn’t encrypted, so anyone who gets the file can open it. I’d add a password before sending (Word lets you set one when you export to PDF) and text the password separately. Also worth asking your broker if they have a secure upload portal, most do and it’s safer than email.
I send invoices for my baking business every week, and standard PDFs are not secure by default. You definitely need to add a password to the file before attaching it, which I learnt the hard way when a document went to the wrong address. Just avoid sending that password in the same email and text it to your broker instead.
Had the same thing last month sending statements to a loan officer, so I will share what I did. PDF files themselves are not automatically secure, it is just a format, so yes you should add a password. On a laptop you can usually do this through your system’s built in print to PDF or export options, or there is often a “protect” setting right in Preview on Mac or similar tools on Windows. Just send the password separately, like by text, not in the same email.
Sending the password separately is the key bit @sarcastic_sea. I’d also check the recipient address twice before send, I do that with client statements constantly.
When I have to email sensitive patient files from the clinic, I always add a password first because normal PDFs are not secure on their own. What works best for me is using PDFcap to lock the file with a password, then texting that password to the recipient. It gives you proper peace of mind.
@Finlay.Wilson That sounds sensible, though I’d check whether the broker has a secure upload portal first, since it avoids email altogether. If email is the only option, use a strong PDF password and send it separately by text after confirming the phone number.
I would password-protect the PDF, but send the password separately, ideally by text or phone call. The bigger risk is usually a mistyped or compromised email account, not the PDF format itself. Also check whether the broker has a secure upload portal, because that is what I use for student records and other sensitive files when available.
PDFs are fine for the format, but the file itself isn’t protected just because it’s a PDF. Add a password to the document and share that password by phone or text instead of in the same email, and you’ll be in much better shape.
@evelyn2008 Agreed on the portal. I process scanned claim documents all day and the upload link is always my first ask, since email itself is the weak point. If there is no portal, I password the PDF and text the password to a number I confirmed by phone first.
check if they already ask for a password when you open them, banks usually dont. pdfs arent locked by default so i always add one before emailing anything with account numbers like i do with leases. send the pw in a separate text. not sure if its the same on mac.
Honestly, password protecting them is the right move, especially if they’re going to a third party. I do this at work all the time: in Acrobat use File then Protect, or if you’re on a Mac just use the built-in password option when exporting. Then share the password over the phone or a text, not the same email. That way even if the email gets intercepted, the files are useless without it.