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Email Encryption

Why has the email I have received been encrypted?
At St. James's Place we take the security of our client's information very seriously. For any email messages sent across the internet, such security cannot be fully guaranteed and as a precautionary measure we have therefore introduced the Secure Email service. This means that some of the emails you receive from St. James's Place may be encrypted, requiring you to enter a password in order to open them.

There are warning messages telling me the email may be unsafe.  What should I do?
Encrypted messages cannot be scanned for viruses because the content cannot be accessed without a password. Your computer's security software may therefore block the message and warn you of a potential risk. Our own antivirus scanning systems will have checked the email before it was encrypted and sent to you, so you can proceed to open or unblock the message.

Why have I just received an attachment?
The system uses Adobe Acrobat Reader software which is commonly installed on computers used to access the internet, and wraps the secured message within an attachment.

The attachment won't open?
Having double-clicked on the attachment it is worth checking the taskbar at the bottom of the screen to see that it hasn't opened in a minimised window, displaying the red and white Adobe icon. Clicking once on this will maximise the window and display the message.

If your computer is unable to open the attachment please check to see that you have Adobe Acrobat Reader installed. You can download it free of charge from www.adobe.com with versions available for both PCs and Apple Macs. If you have the full version of Adobe Acrobat you will not need to install the Reader.

What password should I enter?
The person sending you the message should have provided you with a password. Please contact them to obtain the password, or a reminder of the password, if needed.

The password isn't accepted. What can I do?
Carefully check that you are entering it correctly, remembering that it is case-sensitive. After 3 attempts the password prompt will not re-appear and you will need to re-open the email attachment. If the problem continues please contact the person that sent you the email to clarify the password with them.

Why is there a warning 'Cannot save form information'?
This is a standard feature of some versions of Adobe Acrobat when opening a form. You can ignore this message.

The message sender has referred to an attachment but where is it?
Adobe Acrobat has an attachment tab or paperclip icon which you will need to select. Typically this is located at the bottom left of the screen, though this will depend on the version you are using.

Will I be able to read the message using an Apple Mac?
Apple Macs come with their own PDF reader software, but some of the advanced features of Adobe Acrobat are not available. This means that the message may not be displayed properly, and that attachments cannot be viewed. Please download Adobe Acrobat Reader for Apple Macs free of charge from www.adobe.com.

Will I be able to read the message using an Apple iPhone/iPad?
The built in PDF reader on these devices allows the encrypted email to be opened although attachments cannot be viewed. In order to view attachments from within an encrypted email, please download the Adobe Reader app from the app store. Once the app is installed, hold your finger on the PDF document in the mail application until you see the "Open In" option. Select "Open In" and then choose Adobe Reader. You will see a paper clip icon in the bottom right of the page which will allow you to open any included attachments.

Will I be able to read the message using an Android phone/tablet?
The built-in PDF reader on these devices allows the encrypted email to be opened but attachments cannot be viewed. In order to view attachments from within an encrypted email, please download the Adobe Reader app from the Google Play Store. Once the app is installed, open the attachment with Adobe Reader. To view the attachment open the email and then tap the center of the screen once. You will see a paper clip icon appear in the bottom right of the page which will allow you to open any included attachments.