ny camera, request photocopy of passport??

No ****ing way.

Their intentions might be honourable, but this is not safe. Tell them their security measures put your security at risk and you're taking your business elsewhere.

Passport and credit card are all someone need for some serious indentity theft.

It's a huge security risk on the individual's part. While the company is only trying to cover their own back, email is not secure by any measure, so basically what you are doing is allowing your details to be public knowledge. Blacking out certain bits is a good idea, and try to do it when you take the photo/scan (with little bits of paper stuck over the card for example), so it can't be digitally reconstructed later.

What I would much prefer to see is retailers using their https connections, and allowing customers to upload the necessary pictures in a secure environment.

On your credit card, last 4 digits.

On your passport, as someone else did, your DOB is a good one. Maybe even some lines from your address, e.g.
2 Lansdowne Green
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
IRELAND.
Either way, they'll let you know if you've covered up something they need, so you just do it again.

Originally posted by Sleipnir
but....er.....don't they already have
a.) your full credit card number?
b.) your address?

They already know those two things!!?!?


Faxing the stuff is far more secure than email or using on-line ordering forms. Not that I wouldn't do that either as 128-bit SSL is more than enough.

Do you think that someone might somehow intercept the fax message as it's going through the phone lines!?!?!
Seriously, you'd be more a risk to a keylogger on your machine than someone hacking your phone line!

Missed the fax bit. Definitely fax it to them in favour of mailing it. If you're going to fax it, don't worry too much about the covering up bit. If you're super-paranoid about security, you could be worried that a fax is usually in an office, so any random cleaner could get his hands on your details, but tis up to you.