Is it safe to email passport details?

[mornac]

Hi all

 

I have done a search on this but haven't come up with much.

 

We are in the process of booking a 2 day st Petersburg shore tour and have been asked to email our passport details. Is this safe to do? It's not the tour company that concerns me but someone else intercepting the email.

 

Would like to hear what you think

 

Tia

[kaisatsu]

I never send my credit card information by email, but I'm not terribly concerned with my passport details. After all, I use it as ID sometimes, so my passport number is floating around on random bits of paper already. The chances that someone is going to find the number and use it for some kind of identity theft are already slim, so I would say the chances that your email is picked up by a packet sniffer that's actually searching for passport information puts the odds into the negligible territory.

 

That said, I have had my passport stolen and probably doctored for use by someone in a foreign country, but I'm pretty sure it was the actual passport book they were after. Not just the number.

 

If you are concerned, you can always divide the information into two separate emails. That way the odds that someone intercepting traffic actually picks up both pieces and puts them back together is even smaller. Keep in mind that most of this kind of analysis is automated, so even small precautions can really help.

[Giantfan13]

This is an excellent question and one that I asked a couple of years ago when we were booking our tour.

I also was concerned about giving out my passport number, but from the good people on this site, I was told that it is perfectly normal and the only way they can arrange for a temp visa for you. I also questioned this with SPB Tours, who I used, and I was again reassured that it is perfectly safe, that the email is encrypted or something like that. If you are all concerned, check with the tour company and I'm positive that they all have encryption so nothing bad can happen.

 

As I said, they need this info for you to secure your ticket for the tour and your visa into St Petersburg.

 

Cheers

 

Len

[Ashland]

Everyone that uses a private tour company will as other's above have said, have to send the information requested for entry and the blanket visa required to tour.

 

TJ Travel handled everything for us easily...Enjoy this wonderful way to see this amazing city as only a private tour can offer.

[mornac]

Thanks for your replies! We are so excited about visiting this wonderful city. Never in my life did i think i would have the opportunity to go! We have decided to send our details over two emails just for piece of mind.

 

Thanks again :D

[Hlitner]

So here is question for those that worry about many things. Of what value is the information in your Passport? and, Why would you care if anybody had your Passport number and name.? What do you think they could do with this info?

 

That being said, your Passport is quite valuable (US Passports can have a Black Market value approaching $10,000) so you certainly need to take good care of this document when you travel. But without the actual document its hard to imagine the info having any value.

 

I should add that your Passport info may be needed by certain tour providers....such as in Russia where they cover all their charges on a group Visa.

 

Hank

[gasmaster58]

If you're cautious, you can write your passport number in words. Instead of 123456, you write " one two three four" etc.