The Hidden Risk in Your Inbox: How Email Became a Security Trap

Email has become the default communication channel for professional services firms. It is fast, familiar, and everyone knows how to use it. But when it comes to collecting sensitive client data, email is also one of the most dangerous tools in your workflow. Firms in accountancy, legal, financial, and property services still rely heavily on email to request and receive documents like passports, bank statements, signed agreements, and personal financial data. And on the surface, that seems fine. After all, the message is “encrypted in transit,” right? 

But dig a little deeper and the risks become clear.  

Why Email is Not Secure for Client Documents 
The biggest problem with email is that it was never designed for secure document exchange. Once a client sends you an attachment, that file sits in your inbox—accessible to anyone with access to that mailbox. It can be forwarded, downloaded, misfiled, or forgotten. And in many firms, inboxes are shared between teams or stored indefinitely with little control. Even if you use Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace, and even if your IT provider tells you your messages are encrypted, email still lacks real access control. There are no expiry dates, no audit logs, and no limits on who can open what. That makes email an easy win for phishing scams, spoofing attempts, and accidental data leaks.  

Compliance Pressure is Rising 
For professional services firms operating under GDPR, FCA rules, or client confidentiality agreements, using email to collect sensitive information is quickly becoming unacceptable. Regulators are increasingly interested in how you collect data, not just how you store it. If your process leaves personal or financial data floating in shared inboxes or saved in unprotected folders, you may already be in breach—whether or not a security incident has occurred.  

Clients Are Losing Confidence in Email Too 
It is not just regulators raising the bar. Clients are becoming more aware of privacy and more cautious about what they send over email. If your firm still relies on email attachments for sensitive requests, some clients may hesitate—or worse, delay onboarding altogether.  A secure, modern firm experience means making your data request process as professional and trustworthy as your advice. And email does not cut it anymore.  

So What Should You Use Instead? 
The most effective and client-friendly firms are moving away from email entirely when it comes to sensitive data collection. They are adopting secure tools that: Provide branded request links Work on mobile or desktop Encrypt uploaded data instantly Automatically expire or restrict access 

Keep an audit trail of every request and response  Platforms like Key&Box are designed for this exact purpose—giving professional services firms a way to collect sensitive information securely, without asking clients to create accounts or remember passwords. 

Email is Easy. But Easy is Not Enough. 
If email is still your go-to method for collecting sensitive information, it is time to rethink your process. Because what is convenient for your team might be putting your clients, your firm, and your reputation at risk. 

📘 See how firms are replacing email with modern, secure client data workflows 

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