How to check if an email source is reliable?
Posted: Tue Apr 22, 2025 7:16 am
It’s always a concern when you’re sending emails, you want to make sure the source you’re using is reliable and trustworthy. When you sign up for email marketing software, they usually provide a mailing list of subscribers. But you haven’t determined if these people are interested in your niche, or if they’ll open and click on your emails. Checking the validity of an email address is simple, and can provide valuable insights into running better marketing campaigns.
The importance of verifying email source authenticity to maintain sender reputation
Sender reputation is one of the most critical factors in email deliverability.
In a post on its security blog, Google said its spam filters prevented albania phone number data more than 10 million unsafe or unwanted emails from reaching users.
A good sender reputation helps ensure that your emails reach the inboxes of your subscribers and customers. A poor sender reputation can cause your emails to be marked as spam.
According to the 2020 Consumer Email Tracking Report, only 58% of users check the spam folder in their personal inbox every day.
How to check if the email source is valid
Here are some ways to check if an email source is valid:
Email header checking
The first step in checking whether the sender's email source is valid is to check the email header. The email header contains information that can be used to verify the authenticity of the email.
Most email providers allow you to view a copy of your email headers by visiting their website and entering your email address as your password.
Sender domain verification
Sender Policy Framework (SPF) is a DNS record that allows a domain to specify which mail servers are allowed to send email on behalf of the domain. Messages that fail the SPF check indicate that the sender is not authenticated.
DKIM signatures can be added to emails to verify the legitimacy of the email contents. When receiving mail, it looks for the DKIM signature header in the incoming message.
If the signature and public key in the DNS record do not match, the message is considered suspicious and may be rejected or marked as spam.
Domain Adjustment and Certification Policy
If you are using DMARC, you can set up an enforcement policy to ensure that only legitimate senders can trade mail from your domain and actually deliver mail to inboxes. To do this, make sure the DMARC policy is "Reject" or "Quarantine." This creates a boundary, ensuring that untrustworthy email sources cannot impersonate your domain and deceive your customers.
Use proven channels
Verifying channels helps ensure the origin of emails. This is critical for both business and personal accounts because it protects your online privacy and security.
If spammers try to impersonate your business or personal account, verified channels will reject these messages as spam and keep them from reaching your inbox.
Regularly search for IPs in domain deny lists (block lists)
Search for your IP address on a deny list or IP block list. If you find your IP address on their lists, people may think your emails are spam because they are coming from an IP address that has a history of being associated with spam.
Check if your account has been stolen
Someone else might know your email account password. This gives them access to your account and all its contents, including other people’s emails. This gives them leeway to conduct suspicious activities on your behalf.
Consequences of sending messages from unreliable email sources
If you're receiving a large number of complaints about your email delivery, it may be because many recipients are receiving email from an unreliable sender using your address.
Here are some consequences of sending mail using an invalid source email address:
Damage to reputation
If your emails are blocked as spam or bounced, it damages your brand reputation. Recipients may think you need to care more about them to send emails from a legitimate source. This can affect their perception of your business, leading to lost sales and referrals.
The importance of verifying email source authenticity to maintain sender reputation
Sender reputation is one of the most critical factors in email deliverability.
In a post on its security blog, Google said its spam filters prevented albania phone number data more than 10 million unsafe or unwanted emails from reaching users.
A good sender reputation helps ensure that your emails reach the inboxes of your subscribers and customers. A poor sender reputation can cause your emails to be marked as spam.
According to the 2020 Consumer Email Tracking Report, only 58% of users check the spam folder in their personal inbox every day.
How to check if the email source is valid
Here are some ways to check if an email source is valid:
Email header checking
The first step in checking whether the sender's email source is valid is to check the email header. The email header contains information that can be used to verify the authenticity of the email.
Most email providers allow you to view a copy of your email headers by visiting their website and entering your email address as your password.
Sender domain verification
Sender Policy Framework (SPF) is a DNS record that allows a domain to specify which mail servers are allowed to send email on behalf of the domain. Messages that fail the SPF check indicate that the sender is not authenticated.
DKIM signatures can be added to emails to verify the legitimacy of the email contents. When receiving mail, it looks for the DKIM signature header in the incoming message.
If the signature and public key in the DNS record do not match, the message is considered suspicious and may be rejected or marked as spam.
Domain Adjustment and Certification Policy
If you are using DMARC, you can set up an enforcement policy to ensure that only legitimate senders can trade mail from your domain and actually deliver mail to inboxes. To do this, make sure the DMARC policy is "Reject" or "Quarantine." This creates a boundary, ensuring that untrustworthy email sources cannot impersonate your domain and deceive your customers.
Use proven channels
Verifying channels helps ensure the origin of emails. This is critical for both business and personal accounts because it protects your online privacy and security.
If spammers try to impersonate your business or personal account, verified channels will reject these messages as spam and keep them from reaching your inbox.
Regularly search for IPs in domain deny lists (block lists)
Search for your IP address on a deny list or IP block list. If you find your IP address on their lists, people may think your emails are spam because they are coming from an IP address that has a history of being associated with spam.
Check if your account has been stolen
Someone else might know your email account password. This gives them access to your account and all its contents, including other people’s emails. This gives them leeway to conduct suspicious activities on your behalf.
Consequences of sending messages from unreliable email sources
If you're receiving a large number of complaints about your email delivery, it may be because many recipients are receiving email from an unreliable sender using your address.
Here are some consequences of sending mail using an invalid source email address:
Damage to reputation
If your emails are blocked as spam or bounced, it damages your brand reputation. Recipients may think you need to care more about them to send emails from a legitimate source. This can affect their perception of your business, leading to lost sales and referrals.