Can I safely email a bank account statement?

The receiver will need to access the statement in a cyber cafe from a gmail account and print the statement as well. Would it make sense to encrypt the file or something in this scenario? Should I drop the idea of emailing the bank statement?

57.6k 28 28 gold badges 189 189 silver badges 256 256 bronze badges asked Sep 30, 2011 at 17:24 1,383 8 8 gold badges 24 24 silver badges 39 39 bronze badges Depends on whether you want the whole world to be able to get the statement content. Commented Sep 30, 2011 at 17:35 Why would you want to in the first place? Commented Sep 30, 2011 at 18:31 @Mike Chess, it is because it's needed for an application. Commented Oct 2, 2011 at 1:02

3 Answers 3

You should avoid doing this if possible, unless you are comfortable with unknown third parties seeing your bank statement.

If you have to do it, use encryption, but know that it is quite possible that someone else in that cyber cafe may see it and from there it could be sent anywhere.

In general, never put anything in an e-mail that you are not comfortable with the whole world knowing.

answered Sep 30, 2011 at 18:14 8,468 4 4 gold badges 29 29 silver badges 42 42 bronze badges

As long as the person on the other end doesn't leave a copy on the computer they are using, it should be alright. Also, when they print it a copy of the document might be stored in the printers memory depending on what type of printer it is, but it would likely be difficult for anyone to access that. While it is definatly possible for someone to intercept the email, or somehow gain access to the file, it is relativly unlikly in this senario. But really the security best practice in this senario would be to encrypt the email. So if it concerns you check out the following site, it's a free trial version of PGP encryption suite including email encryption.

answered Sep 30, 2011 at 17:37 463 2 2 silver badges 4 4 bronze badges

He's accessing it from a cyber cafe where anything can run, remote control software, key loggers, screen recorders.

Commented Sep 30, 2011 at 17:49

All of those things can be on any computer at any time. Those same malicious applicaitons could be running on the OP's computer right now. I guess it all depends on what, if any, malware or antivirus software the Cyber Cafe has running on their machines, and whether or not the OP trusts that establishment's security standards. Any time you email confidential information to another person, you have to accept the posibility that it may end up in the wrong hands(especially when using a public computer), if that risk is not acceptable, then don't send the informaiton.

Commented Sep 30, 2011 at 17:55

No, the security best practice is: don't do it. I have dealt with multiple financial institutions, and I have yet to see one that sends statements by email.