How to Trace an Email Address & Protect Yourself Against Spam Emails?

How to Trace an Email Address?

1. Check the sender’s name on any emails that seem too good to be true or that are straight-up spammy. If it’s a company for whom you’ve never signed up, then there’s a chance it came from them (e.g., “Kate Spade” is probably not getting their info from your email). But if it appears as gibberish like “oill87@l8l8l8ll8ll5” or “kkkkkkkk@aol.com,” then the email is more than likely fake.

2. Check the subject line of any emails that sound sketchy. If it’s something like “good news” or “your account has been deactivated,” it’s likely a legit email from a company you’ve done business with. However if it includes phrases like, “Reply within 48 hours or else…,” then it’s likely spam—and may cause your account to be compromised in some way down the line.

3. Look for suspicious spelling and grammar in general (e.g., “i love you and want you on yahoo messenger”). While you can’t tell if someone is truly illiterate, having a computer spell checker in your email program can catch mistakes like these.

4. If none of the above checks work (e.g., you see something like “From: JOHN.PHONE@outlook.com”), try finding an email address that seems to be correct and then trying to send a test email with that address to yourself (e.g., “I’m sending myself an email; we’re going to pretend I’m signing up for something”). Chances are you’ll get a rejection if it’s fake and likely receive an accurate response if it’s real.

How to Protect Yourself from Spam?

1. If you’re worried about getting the wrong email address, use an email address forwarding service like Yahoo or Gmail. Then keep all of your contacts in one place on your phone so that you’re not constantly opening random emails on the device.

2. If you’re worried about receiving emails from people you don’t know, then just stick to apps that are simple and easy to use (e.g., Gmail, Outlook).

3. If you do want to sign up for something just once or twice per week, then consider setting up a regular email account with a trustworthy provider (e.g., Yahoo, Gmail) instead of signing up for every free app out there (e.g., Snapchat).

4. Beware of emails that are too good to be true (e.g., “We’d like to see if you qualify for a free iPad next week!” or “You’ve won a vacation in Cancun!”).

5. Get rid of the apps on your phone that automatically sign you up for stuff. This may be easier said than done, but it’s worth it to avoid unwanted charges and spammy offers.

6. Consider taking advantage of new security features on your phone so new junk mail doesn’t get delivered to your inbox (e.g., Android security settings or iPhone’s menu settings). Note: You can also set up filters so that only certain domains and emails go into email accounts (e.g., Gmail).

7. Be extra cautious with anyone who’s not familiar to you (e.g., a grandpa who’s “totally trustworthy,” a coworker, or other people in your life you don’t know personally).

8. If an email sounds suspicious or bad (i.e., it seems too good to be true), send the email to yourself first before opening it on your phone. Also, consider using Apple’s Mail app which offers reading options similar to the desktop version of Outlook, which may make it easier for you to decide whether or not you want to open the email.

9. If you’re getting a lot of spam/phishing emails, then consider using an email filtering service like Spamfighter.

10. If you want to block spam, then consider using a service like Spamhaus or the free OpenDNS, which can be configured to block millions of domains and millions of IPs (i.e., “blocked sites”). Note: Don’t ever use a Gmail, Yahoo, or Outlook email address as your primary address—these are not private and would likely be easy to trace back to you if needed.

Conclusion

Spam emails can be annoying and often result in you missing important information and/or getting the wrong information. But with a bit of knowledge, vigilance, and some caution you can learn to be safe online—just like any other online medium.

You can eradicate spam mails and keep your inbox safe. To have a full protection from spam emails, you can use tools like Mailbox scanner tool efficiently detects the functioning of your email inbox and maintains the hygiene of your mailbox.