Attached binaries don't work

I attach a MS Word or Excel or whatever file to a ticket. When I click on
it (or save target) it appears as an encoded file and can’t be opened by
the app that created it. Any ideas?
Thanks
Nick
Nicolae P. Costescu, Ph.D. / Senior Developer
Stronghold Technologies
46040 Center Oak Plaza, Suite 160 / Sterling, Va 20166
Tel: 571-434-1472 / Fax: 571-434-1478