Here’s my advice.
STEP 1: Add a watermark to the PDF document
Add a watermark to the PDF document that includes the following:
CONFIDENTIAL: DO NOT DISTRIBUTE
FOR ID VERIFICATION ONLY
NAME OF RECIPIENT / UTILITY COMPANY
DATE
This is a security measure I have only recently learned about, and that I have not yet had the opportunity to use, but I intend to with all the documents I send to companies from now on.
I don’t know which PDF app/website to recommend, but I recommend using one that allows you to tile the watermark so that it is repeated all across the entire page.
It would be nice if Firefox has this feature. Watermarkly seems to have it, but I have no idea if it’s safe to use.
Note: I just found about dynamic watermarks, which apparently change every time someone opens or prints the document, so that, for eg, the time, date, and name of the computer user who opened it appear on the document. I’ve never used dynamic watermarks, though.
STEP 2: Password Protect your PDF File
Use a long passphrase like:
Dynamic king gets rid of 92 heavy fork$
STEP 3: Send the PDF via a secure file host.
I recommend Tresorit Send as someone else suggested.
Tresorit is end-to-end encrypted and gives you the option to password protect your download link, which I would do.
THE NEXT STEPS ARE NOT MANDATORY, AND PERHAPS OVERKILL, BUT I WOULD GO THROUGH THEM.
STEP 4: Do not write the password to the PDF document in the e-mail.
Instead, use Note Rip to write it in a secure note that expires and include the link to that secure note in the email.
In the advance options, Note Rip give you the options to choose when the note expires, limit the number of views, and of course password protect the note. All for free. I would personally password protect the note.
STEP 5: Write the password(s) to your secure links in the e-mail
Your e-mail should only contain the passwords for the Tresorit Send link and the Note Rip link. To make it simpler, they should be one and the same.
Your e-mail could look like this:
Hello John from Utility Company,
I understand you need to verify my identity, and I am more than happy to oblige by providing you with my most recent bank statement that you can download in PDF in the link below:
https : // send . tresorit . com
Because I highly value my privacy and the security of my personal documents, you will need a password to open the PDF file. You will find that password in the secure note linked below:
https : // www . noterip . com
Make sure you write down that password because the secure note will expire in 3 days and can only be viewed ONCE.
Moreover, both links to the secure note and my PDF bank statement require a password to open. That password is:
Dynamic king gets rid of heavy 92 fork$
Keep in mind that all the links I shared with you will expire within 3 days, so please open them as soon as you’ve read this e-mail, and send me confirmation that you were able to download and open my PDF bank statement.
Thank you,
Kind regards,
Hope this helps!