How to Find the IP Address of an Email Sender
Have you ever received an email from an unknown sender and questioned its authenticity? One way to determine the legitimacy of an email is to find out the IP address of the sender. Every device connected to the internet is assigned an IP address, a unique identifier that can reveal the location and identity of the sender. In this article, we will discuss how to find the IP address of an email sender.
Firstly, it is important to note that the IP address of an email sender is not always available. Many email providers, such as Gmail and Outlook, hide the IP address of the sender for privacy reasons. However, if the email is suspicious or threatening, contacting law enforcement may help in tracing the email’s origin.
If the sender’s IP address is not hidden, you can follow these steps to find it:
Step 1: Open the email in question
To begin, you must be logged in to the email account and open the suspicious email. This can be done on your computer or mobile device.
Step 2: Find the email’s headers
The email’s headers contain information about the sender, recipients, timestamps, and routing information. To access an email’s headers, navigate to the email’s options or settings and look for an option that says “View headers” or “Show original.” This will display the email’s raw data in a separate window or tab.
Step 3: Identify the sender’s IP address
Once you have access to the email’s headers, look for a section labeled “Received” or “Received from.” This section contains the IP address of the server that transmitted the email. The IP address may appear in numerical or alphanumeric form.
Step 4: Trace the IP address
After identifying the IP address, the next step is to trace its source. Online tools such as IP Lookup or IP Tracer can be used to locate the sender’s location and internet service provider (ISP). This will provide additional information that can help in identifying the sender.
In conclusion, finding the IP address of an email sender can be a useful tool in verifying the legitimacy of an email. However, it is not always possible to obtain this information due to privacy measures taken by email providers. If you are unable to find the sender’s IP address or require more information in tracing an email’s origin, contacting law enforcement may be necessary.