An electronic message retrieval system in which the electronic message, and any corresponding attachments, can be encrypted by the sender of the message and routed to the intended recipient, even if the intended recipient is in a mobile location or it is otherwise inconvenient for the recipient to receive the electronic message in the form in which it was sent. The system provides an alarm or indication to the intended recipient, wherever he or she is, that a message has been delivered, an indication of the subject of the message and who sent the message, and whether the message is encrypted. The intended recipient then has the choice of deferring retrieval of the message until a later time when he or she can log onto a secure system and decrypt the message conventionally, or providing the system with a password or "key" which will permit the system to decrypt the message, convert it into a format retrievable by the mobile recipient, i.e., audible format for phone delivery, facsimile data for fax delivery, etc., and deliver the message to the mobile recipient.