The Best Ways to Find Out Who Emailed You
Cindy Ellis - January 22, 2024
Millions of emails are sent daily, so there’s a good chance that your inbox fills up rapidly, even if you only send a few emails yourself. Plus, most websites and companies will email you with promotions or if there is an issue with your account. Clients, friends, and even family members may also email you occasionally, so it’s important to know who the sender is if you want to keep in touch with people or stay safe.
Unfortunately, many people have taken advantage of how easy it is to send an email, which results in scams and other malicious activities. In fact, people may even attempt to steal your email to try and trick other people by gaining access to your passwords.
The good news is that we can help you find out exactly who sent you an email. Read on to learn more.
Reasons to Verify an Email Address
It’s always a good idea to know who’s emailing you. Doing so can help you avoid scams, phishing attacks, spam, and much more. Learn about some of the best reasons to verify emails below.
Phishing Attacks
According to Vade Secure, phishing attacks have increased by more than 170% from Q3 to Q4 of 2023. These attacks are designed to have recipients click a link that takes them to a website to download malware. When an email contains a PDF, link, or any other file, it’s important to verify the sender. Unfortunately, even if the email address looks legit and is well-written, it may be a scammer.
Stopping Spam
It’s hard to sort through what’s spam and what’s not spam when you don’t know who’s emailing you. Because of this, it’s a good idea to check to see who sent you an email before you decide to sort it in your inbox. You can also report similar emails to avoid spam from similar senders from that company. This all depends on your email service provider.
Identity Verification
Last but not least, you should always verify someone’s identity, especially if it’s the first email you’ve received from them. You can verify this name or phone number with any of our search tools to make sure everything lines up properly.
How to Find Out Who’s Emailing You
Identifying the sender of an email isn’t challenging when you’re equipped with the right tools. While you can spend time using Google to find an email, it’s like finding a needle in a haystack. Luckily, this is where Information.com comes into play.
As long as you can find a name, address, or phone number, you’re in business. We also have some alternative options if you’re still not having any luck.
1. Check for Information in the Email
The best way to find out who’s emailing you is to check the email thoroughly. First, check the name before the domain, or the “@” symbol. Most people will have their name before the domain, and you can use that information to identify the owner further. You can also check the domain to see if a specific company owns the email. This is common for emails from a company’s support team, which is a great way to identify them.
There are also more places to check in the email if nothing is obvious from the header. You can check the signature at the end of the email, if it has one, to see who’s emailing you. Signatures will be at the bottom of the email and usually contain an address, phone number, or the sender’s name.
If you find information in the signature, it’s a good idea to verify it with a good public records search tool to ensure the email sender is who they claim to be.
2. Public Records Search Tools
Email addresses are public records, so they’re not hidden from the public, and anyone can view them. While you can’t view some information about an email, you’re legally allowed to look into the owner of an email if it’s not for stalking or other illegal purposes. Therefore, any public records search tool can help you identify the owner of an email if you have some basic information from the sender.
We offer several search tools that can help you identify the owner of an email address with the information that you have. If the email contains a name, phone number, or address, you can get started with any of our search tools. Our tools also reveal more than just the owner of an email. In fact, you can discover any public records about them, including their criminal records, court records, sex offender status, social media accounts, and much more.
3. Google Search
Google is a great place to start when you need to find someone’s email address. It’s a great tool that can help you find just about anything once you enter something into the search bar. If you want to learn more about an email address, you can try to enter the email address to see what comes up in the search results. Emails that are owned by businesses are more likely to appear when you run a search, but you can get lucky and find someone’s email as well.
Google also has advanced search functionality, so you can run a domain search typing site:[domain] to fine-tune your search. If you don’t find anything with your initial search, you can start to narrow the information down. Depending on other information present within the email, you can enter that into Google to see if you get any results.
4. Social Media
An underrated feature of some social media tools is their email search options. Most platforms won’t tell you outright that you can search with an email, but a few platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter have email search functionality. Essentially, this means that you enter an email address into the social media platform’s search tool to find the owner. Their accounts will appear in the search results if they link their email to their account, so it’s effective for finding an email address owner.
Unfortunately, only some social media tools have this option. While you’ll have success with Facebook, LinkedIn, and X (Twitter), you’ll struggle with Instagram, Snapchat, and some of the other popular tools like TikTok. Make sure you keep this in mind when using social media platforms to avoid wasting time.
5. Domain Name Search
One of the more unique ways to find an email is with a domain name search. Most emails have a domain attached to them, which is what comes after the “@” symbol. If you have an email in your inbox that’s not from an email provider like AOL, Yahoo, or Google, there’s a good chance that it comes from a private company.
Once you have the domain, you can run the email through a domain search database like Who.is. These services will tell you what company owns the domain or if an individual owns the domain. You can also access their IP address using this method, which can help you discover even more information. Other domain registrars like Namecheap can also help, but your mileage may vary depending on the website.
Frequently Asked Questions
Have questions about finding out who’s emailing you? We have answers below.
Is Finding an Email Address Legal?
Yes, finding an email address is legal. Email addresses are public records, so there’s nothing wrong with looking them up. That said, you should only use that information for good, so avoid using it for nefarious purposes. Doing so can be illegal and can be used against you if you’re stalking someone or looking up someone who specifically told you not to. It’s also important to note that if you plan on doing this as part of a background check, you need the person’s consent.
Can You Find an Email Address for Free?
Yes, email addresses are free to find. Anyone can run a search on Google for free if they have access to the internet, and most domain lookup tools are also free. Social media platforms and other tools are also free to use, so you don’t have to worry about spending a lot of money on fancy reverse email tools.
That said, you will have to pay if you want to view all of the public records associated with an email account. A good rule of thumb is that you can look up the owner of an email but not much else for free.
Find Out Who’s Emailing You Today
Knowing who sent you an email is essential if you want to have a worthwhile conversation or if you want to avoid a scam. Plus, it’s good to know who’s making their way into your inbox for safety purposes. While it can be challenging to find out who sent you an email, the good news is that Information.com can always help. We have plenty of high-quality database search tools that can help you find the owner of an email address using only their name, phone number, or address.
