A lot of spam messages are sent to email addresses every day, many of which come from fake addresses. If you want to reply to a message, there are several ways you can verify the authenticity of your email address. You should be careful when responding to a potentially malicious message. Learn how to check the authenticity of an email address using online services.
Steps
Method 1 of 4: Send an email
Step 1. Create a free email address on services such as Windows Live, Google or Mail.ru
Do not provide your personal information. You are only trying to create a secure address from which you can verify your email addresses without revealing your real email address to scammers
Step 2. Sign in to your account
Click on the button to write a new letter.
Step 3. In the "To" field, paste the email address you want to check
Provide a subject and, if you like, write a simple message such as "Hello".
Step 4. Send the letter
Wait a few minutes to 24 hours to see if the email comes back as "undelivered."
Method 2 of 4: Check the location of the address
Step 1. Open the letter that was received from an unverified address
Step 2. Click on the "More" menu
Step 3. Click on the "Show original" option
To display the sender information, you may have to click on the arrow below the email address.
Step 4. Find the IP address
An IP address is made up of four numbers separated by periods. Typically, the address will read “Received from” before the address. Look for something similar to: "98.34.56.4".
Step 5. Launch your browser and go to this address
yougetsignal.com/tools/visual-tracert.
Step 6. Copy the found IP address
Step 7. Paste it into the “Remote Address” field
The address can be traced through a proxy or hosting; select one of the options.
Step 8. Find the location of the IP address on the map
If the IP address is not located in your country, and you do not know anyone outside of your country, it could be some kind of mailing list or a malicious letter.
Method 3 of 4: Email Verification Sites
Step 1. Copy the email address you want to check
Step 2. Go to
Step 3. Paste your email address in the blank field
Step 4. Click on the "Verify" button
Step 5. Take a look at the verification results located under the "Verify" button
If the email address is valid, it will say "Result: OK" here.
Method 4 of 4: Searching the Internet
Step 1. Enter a Google search term with the email address you want to check
Wait for the search results to appear. If this address is linked to a social media account or website, it is most likely genuine.
Step 2. Log in to Facebook
Find the search box at the top of the page.