Identity for online broker

I am in process of opening online account with broker,one of the requirments is sending of proof of identity which ,is a copy of passport and a copy of utility bill,they will accept by email.Is this normal as if this information got into wrong hands ,maybe someone could rob identity,Iwould appreciate if anyone has expierience of this and opinions that you may have
Regards
pattt

Will they not accept them by post which might be more secure?

Yes but they also accept by email,which is handy and quicker

But possible less secure as you point out. So why take the chance? While I would not be paranoid about emailing certain sensitive details I would probably err on the side of caution here and post the information instead.

I've emailed photographs of identity documents in setting up online accounts before. Assuming that A) You contacted the company to set up the account initially, B) You've researched the company and are satisfied with their security and C) You are emailing the files to a specific person you've been in contact with (not some general email address like customerservice@company.com) I don't see why it should be any less safe than sending documents through the post or by fax. The possibility for mail to be lost or stolen is obvious. If you are uncomfortable with the prospect of a company handling your details by email why would you be comfortable giving them custodoy of huge chunks of your money?? The safest method would be to send by courier or hand deliver, but that's not always an option.