Snail mail a copy of my drivers license?

[Flyslinger2]

I recently refinanced Mrs. Fly's car.  I surprised her with it as a gift and the dealer wasn't flexible in their loan rate.  I knew my bank would refi it for me for next to no interest, which they did.

I keep getting nasty grams via email and mail about not completing the refi package-specifically they want a copy of my drivers license to go with the package.  I am happy to oblige when financial transactions occur and the officer asks for my I.D.  I am not interested in someone else gaining access to my financial instrument.

I am NOT interested in sending a copy of my DL through snail mail however.  The latest mail that I received stated that I could mail it to them and that email was NOT an acceptable option.  I emailed the officer, because she was nice enough to include her email address in the letter, and specifically stated that I was very happy to send my DL securely through email but I would NEVER copy it and send it through snail mail.

Am I being too much of a pain?  Would you send a copy of your DL through snail mail?

[CraginS]

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@Flyslinger2 wrote:

...

Am I being too much of a pain?  Would you send a copy of your DL through snail mail?

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Mark,

Consider the risks and exposure opportunities in each transmission method. Once the receiver has an image of your DL, whether by digital transmission or by paper copy, the exposure risk is the same. So, your question is whether there is a significant difference in risk while in the transmission process. I'd suggest that, overall, using paper and snail mail, is less risky than even properly encrypted digital transmission. Consider three aspects: image resolution, opportunities to copy the image, and trustworthy handling end-to-end.

As to image resolution, if you send a paper copy via snail mail, you can be sure the resolution is adequate for the receiver to verify, but not sufficient to reproduce a fake ID. On the other hand, a digital copy, once decrypted, is more likely to allow for a fake ID copy.

As to exposure, every transfer point in a digital transmission can save a copy of the file, for later attempts at decryption and subsequent exploitation. In contrast, the snail mail must be opened and accessed to make copies for exploitation, or theft. Thus, snail mail is much less risky one this front. 

Finally, using snail mail, upgraded with certified, or registered, or personal signature receipt handling, is a MUCH more trustworthy handling process than trusting blindly the many ISPs, encryption handlers,  and mail servers involved in a  digital transmission.

My response: I'd go with Registered U.S. mail in a heartbeat over any digital method for sensitive document transmission.

[denbesten]

I concur with Craign's analysis and would like to add that tampering with mail is often a criminal offence.  In the US, it can result in up to 5 years and $25k.

[rslade]

> Flyslinger2 (Community Champion) posted a new topic in Tech Talk on 05-01-2019

>   I emailed the officer, because she was nice enough to
> include her email address in the letter, and specifically stated that I was very
> happy to send my DL securely through email but I would NEVER copy it and send it
> through snail mail.   Am I being too much of a pain?  Would you send a copy of
> your DL through snail mail?

Interesting perspective. Just off the top of my head, I'd say that I'd be more
willing to send a photocopy through the mail than through email (to someone I
knew). In terms of "securely through email" I wouldn't trust *my* banker to
know how to do that, and what was important about the process.

But you have to measure the risk, and the parties involved, and what you are
trying to accomplish. I remember being out teaching, one time, and having an
emergency extra seminar come up, and having, because of travel documents, to
get someone from the seminar to take my passport home with him, and scan it,
and email me the scan so that I could email it to someone else. Didn't have time
(or the resources) to do anything else.

I remember (way back) doing a radio interview on credit cards and the net. The
interviewer knew me, and asked, at one point, if I would be willing to use my credit
card on the net. I said yes, and he was quite surprised. Well, I said, have you ever
used your credit card in a restaurant? Yes, he, said, of course. Really? You've just
given your card to a minimum wage waitperson, and they've taken it off
somewhere (I told you this was way back: it was before they started bringing the
machine to the table), and done who knows what with it ... He got the point.

====================== (quote inserted randomly by Pegasus Mailer)
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