Few people like receiving strange emails from unknown sources. Whether it's annoying spam, silly pranks, or something more sinister, it's no wonder that so many people today want to learn more about strange email messages. There are many courses you can take to do this, including reverse email lookups and IP address searches. But before you can use an IP address search, you have to locate the IP address of the computer that sent you the message.
The best way to do that, and to get started in your reverse email lookup, is to examine the email headers. Email headers work like digital envelopes, providing information about where a letter comes from and where it's going. Every email message has headers, but most email clients hide headers from view. Each email client has a different procedure to view headers, but most have some option to allow you to see them. Once you've found the headers, look for the words "Received: from". This line is added to the headers every time the email changes hands. If the message hasn't been tampered with, then the IP address of the originating computer will be to the right of the last time "Received: from" appears in the headers. You can use this IP address to trace the computer that first sent the message.
Of course searching IP addresses isn't the only way to find information about mysterious email messages; you can also use a reverse email lookup. Reverse email lookups work by searching vast numbers of records for information about the owner of almost any email address. This means you can find the name of almost any email account user in just a few minutes, without the hassle and fuss of deciphering email headers.
So, if you need to perform a reverse email address search, these are two ways to get you can get started. If you'd like to learn more, use the resources available on the Internet.
Lindsay has been writing about web applications for 4 years and is tracking the latest trends in web development. You can check out her latest project at http://www.reverseemaildetective.com
