Sending Payment Details Over Email

panthro

panthro

panthro

Soldato
Joined
19 Nov 2004
Posts
12,598
Location
Wokingham
Im booking some accomodation for my South Africa trip. Now, the company I am booking through, Siyabona Africa, are the agents for Kruger National Park, i.e. you book all the restcamps etc through them.

They have sent me a form to fill out to fax or email back to them. Theyve asked for:

  • Name
  • CC Number
  • Type of Card
  • 3 digit number on the back of the CC
  • Expiry Date
  • ID/Passport Number
  • Tel No
  • Email
  • Name of Cardholders Bank
  • DOB
  • Postal Address

Ive got serious reservations about sending this info over unsecured email. What do you all reckon? Safe or not? Cheers :)
 
I don't think thats very safe tbh, do they not have a website with a SSL page to input this info?
 
Guy said:
I don't think thats very safe tbh, do they not have a website with a SSL page to input this info?
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No, you send them a provisional reservation, then they email you back to confirm your reservation, with all the forms to fill out.
 
Print out send via post, i guess thats just as bad if it gets lost. Recorded delivery??
 
I think they need the passport details to process some passes, for us to present them to the restcamps and gate entries to prove that we have booked accomodation inside Kruger national park.
 
panthro said:
What are the risks of faxing the document over to them?
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TBH I wouldn't want to do that either, i'd want my details in some encrypted secure database, not on a bit of paper where any Tom, Dick or Harry can pick it up and make a note for 'later use'.
 
Can't you do a bank/TT transfer? Then you can e-mail or fax them the details (obviously without your bank details, etc).

The ID/passport number thing sounds dodgy to me. Even if its for passes your name(s) should be enough!
 
Last edited:
HeX said:
TBH I wouldn't want to do that either, i'd want my details in some encrypted secure database, not on a bit of paper where any Tom, Dick or Harry can pick it up and make a note for 'later use'.
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And yet many of the same details are went out to him every month via a much less secure method than the fax (every card statement has his name/address/card number on it ;)),
Faxes are probably as safe as an online form if the fax machine is in an office/safe area.

hp7909 said:
Can't you do a bank/TT transfer? Then you can e-mail or fax them the details (obviously without your bank details, etc).

The ID/passport number thing sounds dodgy to me. Even if its for passes your name(s) should be enough!
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I would guess they want the passport number so they can check John Smith is actually the right John Smith from Yorkshire rather than John Smith from Hampshire, Ontario, New York or Canberra.
Names are rarely unique so it's more reliable to use something like the name + secondary identifier and the passport is an official one that any tourist is going to have on them.


I wouldn't send the information via unsecured email (if it was encrypted then probably), but wouldn't have any qualms about sending it via a fax.
 
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