Some Agencies will require you to send them a Picture of a clients Personal Information, such as a Drivers License or Social Security Card, or may include written private correspondence.
Of course, such information MUST NEVER be sent "In the Clear", where anyone can see the information, should it inadvertently be sent to the wrong person.
Such Documents MUST be sent in a Secure manner, where the recipient must use a PIN, Passcode or Password to view the material.
The Safest and Easiest way to do so is to Place all images that need to be protected into a Microsoft Word Document, which is then Protected by a Passcode and Saved. This Password-Protected file can then be Safely E-mailed to the requesting agency.
To Do so, you need to:
- Create the File
- Save the Protected File
- Test the File
- Attach the File to Email and Send.
Creating the File
To Start, Create your New File in Word, Inserting the Confidential Information into it, in the way you want it to be seen by the Recipient. You can copy / paste the data in, or drag the individual picture files onto separate pages.
The Pictures are treated as Words, so if you need to add multiple images, create a new page by going to the End of the document and pressing Enter a few times until a new Blank Page appears, where you can add more of the needed information that needs to be protected.
Saving the Protected File
In Modern Versions of Office, Click FILE, and select the INFO tab
Then click Protect Document, and select Encrypt with Password
Enter your desired Password and click OK
Enter the same password again to confirm, and click OK
Word will now show the Document to be Protected
Now be sure to SAVE The Document to commit the changes.
Testing the File
Be sure to Test the Protection of the File by completely closing Microsoft Word, and then opening the Document you just saved:
It Should Now Immediately ask for a Password, which you would enter to Gain Access.
Attaching the Protected File to an Email
Once the File has been Confirmed as being Protected, You may now Attach the File and send it to the Agency requesting the Information.