Postcards Are More Secure Than Email

Fewer people have access to postcards send in the mail than have access to your email.

A lot of contractors are told to email QuickBooks contractor data files to their tax preparer, bookkeeper or any number of places and continually put themselves at tremendous risk of identity theft or worse.

In cases where they have stored data about their present and past clients, they put their clients at risk too which if it is traced back to you could mean bankruptcy or worse.

We have warned against this practice for several years and in most cases nobody pays any attention until it is too late. Here are the top ten ways emailing your QuickBooks contractor file can hurt you:

1. You are using a "Free" email provider with little or no security.

2. Your email program has been compromised, and you don't even know it. Which could all your email is being copied and sent to identity thieves?

3. Your tax preparer, bookkeeper or whomever you sent it to has little or no email security.

4. Any network carrier can see the contents of your email.

5. Your bookkeeper can intercept your QuickBooks contractor data file that you emailed, make a copy and sell it or give it to your competitors. If you think this never happens to ask yourself how many side-jobs your construction employees have done using your tools, your equipment, and your material.

6. Your bookkeeper emails a copy of your QuickBooks contractor data file to their personal email and sells it or gives it to your competitors.

7. You password protect your QuickBooks contractor file before emailing it simply puts a red flag on it which tells thieves there is some extremely valuable information here.

8. The email address you were given was bogus, and you did not realize it until it was too late.

9. You mistyped the email address into your email program and sent your QuickBooks for Contractors data file who knows where.

10. Your tax preparer or bookkeeper mistyped the email address into their email program and sent your QuickBooks for Contractors data file who knows where.

There are a lot more issues related to the perils and pitfalls of emailing your QuickBooks for contractors file than I have listed here.

Secure File Transfer System Is The Answer

The problem is that it costs money which is why most accountants don't use it because it is cheaper for them to put you at risk than for them to spend money.

A secure file transfer system encrypts your QuickBooks for contractors file before it leaves your computer and then stores it on secure servers.

Your QuickBooks contractor file waits patiently until the person you intend to receive it puts in their username and password and downloads the encrypted QuickBooks contractor file. The secure file transfer system automatically converts it back into a useable QuickBooks for contractors file once it is safely at the new destination.

This service works will all QuickBooks files, Word documents, Excel files and just about anything that can be uploaded.

Companies offering this type of service for "Free" ones are to be avoided as they could be worse than sending your QuickBooks For contractors file by email.

Premium services are the ones that cater to accounting firms and in addition to secure file transfer, they will scan the QuickBooks contractor and all other files for viruses before uploading them which offers further protection.

Listen to this Podcast for more…

If you are Thinking About Outsourcing Your Contractors Bookkeeping Services you are invited to download a guide to finding the right contractor bookkeeping service to fit your particular situation at www.FastEasyAccounting.com/hs

Call Sharie now 206-361-3950 or [email protected] and schedule your no charge one-hour consultation.