Is It Safe To Send Tax Documents via Email?

Sending tax documents by email poses significant risks because emails are not fully encrypted. Emails can also be intercepted while in transit, making them vulnerable to unauthorized access. As a result, using email for tax documents increases the risk of identity theft and tax fraud.

Continue reading to learn about the security risks of emailing your tax documents and what you should do instead. 

Why you should never email your tax documents

Here are three reasons why you should never email your tax documents.

Emails lack end-to-end encryption

Emails are not fully encrypted, leaving your sensitive documents vulnerable to interception by hackers. End-to-end encryption is a security method that scrambles data into ciphertext, ensuring it remains encrypted during transit and is only decrypted on the recipient’s device. This method prevents unauthorized users from accessing your data because even if they were to intercept it, it would be unreadable. In contrast, most email service providers only use Transport Layer Security (TLS), which only encrypts emails during transit. This means that if your email falls into the wrong hands, TLS won’t protect you from unauthorized individuals accessing your tax documents. 

Emails can be stolen if an email account is compromised 

Another factor to consider is the risk of your emails being stolen if you or the recipient’s email account is not fully secure. If either email account is ever compromised, the contents of your emails could be exposed and used for malicious purposes. Your or the recipient’s email accounts can become compromised through various vulnerabilities, such as using weak passwords, falling for a phishing attack, having a malware infection, being involved in a data breach or failing to enable Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) on your account. 

Increase risk of identity theft and tax fraud

When you share your tax documents via email, you put your Personally Identifiable Information (PII) at risk of being stolen by cybercriminals, which can lead to identity theft and tax fraud. Identity theft occurs when someone uses your PII to impersonate you. Hackers can use sensitive information like your legal name, birthdate and Social Security number to access your bank accounts, open up credit cards in your name and apply for loans. Moreover, it can also lead to tax fraud, which happens when hackers use your Social Security number to file tax returns and claim your refund. 

What is the safest way to send tax documents?

The safest way to send your tax documents and other sensitive documents is by using a software platform that employs zero-knowledge encryption. Zero-knowledge encryption ensures that your data is fully protected at all times and can only be decrypted at the device level by the intended recipient. 

A zero-knowledge password manager is a secure and convenient option for sending sensitive information like tax documents. Keeper® uses zero-knowledge encryption to protect all your passwords and documents, ensuring that only you have access to your data. Additionally, Keeper’s One-Time Share feature allows you to securely share sensitive records with trusted individuals on a time-limited basis. Access to your shared records can also be revoked at any time, giving you full control over your data.

Securely share your tax documents using Keeper 

Don’t risk exposing your tax documents to hackers. By taking the proper precautions when sharing your sensitive documents, you can prevent yourself from falling victim to identity theft and tax fraud. 
With Keeper Password Manager, you can securely share your tax documents without worrying about cybercriminals accessing your sensitive information. Start a free 30-day trial of Keeper today.