How To Trace Email Sender Location In Gmail?
Be it any work correspondence, marketing campaigns, or a socializing event, using Internet mail applications has become the primary and preferred way of reaching out to the people. But as much as it is practical and convenient, we can't ignore the multiple problems that sometimes occur in email communications.
HOW TO FIND THE IP ADDRESS OF THE EMAIL SENDER IN GMAIL?
One of the most essential questions of security you should be asking yourself is how to trace the email sender's location in Gmail. The answer is right here – in this article, we have described the two ways you can use to determine the email sender's location in Gmail.
EMAIL SENDER LOCATION IN GMAIL 1: TRACKING AN EMAIL IP ADDRESS
Sometimes, the anonymity offered by the internet providers can be used and abused against a person. That's why it is crucial to know how to confirm the counterpart's location to safeguard yourself and prevent abuse.
One of the easiest ways to check the identity of your digital pen pal is to track their IP address from an email in your Gmail inbox. Having some email address locator would definitely help, but there are plenty of manual ways to do the same and achieve the same results.
While the location tracking via IP addresses itself is a pretty straightforward process and can be done with several free tools, the main issue is often getting your hands on the Gmail IP address itself. That is the tough part.
The email IP address is considered a very sensitive piece of information (and there's no doubt about it). While some mail clients ignore this fact and display the sender's IP address clearly in the mail, getting it from Gmail can be a little bit tricky.
Gmail's web interface hides the email sender's IP address, shielding it from the eyes of casual users. You'll have to look for some other way to trace the email sender's location if they are using the Gmail web interface.
So that you know – the first thing you need to do is go to the letter you have received. Look for the three dots (⋮), which are normally located on the right-hand side of the screen. Clicking them will open a drop-down menu. Now, look for the option Show Original. That's what will get the job done for you. Click it to go to the detailed information behind the email location.
It's straightforward from then on, as the information you're looking for is right in that particular window. You have to find the field called "SPF" (sender policy framework), and you're primarily done. That's the email IP address you were looking for.
Once you have the email sender's IP address, you can check their location using one of the multiple IP tracking tools.
EMAIL SENDER LOCATION IN GMAIL METHOD 2: SOCIAL MEDIA LOCATION TRACKING
Social media has transformed the modern-day communication and socializing as we know it. Nevertheless, many people must realize how much they expose themselves by putting their personal information on their public social media accounts and profiles. This vulnerability can be utilized when searching for the sender of an email as well.
Most of the users tend to stick to one or similar nicknames when registering on different websites. If you use their email addresses for the search on social media with the same nickname, you might then be able to find the profile. From there on, you can try to figure out their location using the information they have already published. One of the most popular ways to find the place of your professional contact this way is by using LinkedIn.
Be careful, though; this method is less reliable as it can lead you to the wrong account. Furthermore, scam emails or spam are likely to use fake or simply randomly generated addresses.
What now?
Once you've verified that the sender is not the person they're posing as, there are many diverse ways to deal with the situation. Ignoring their messages is the easiest one, but you can go further. Blocking the user from sending you emails will save your spam filter the effort.
An even better solution would be to block their IP address altogether. Your spam filters will weed out any messages sent from that address. Unfortunately, Gmail doesn't have a built-in function to do just that, but that's no problem at all. Linux users can enjoy the luxury of managing their IP tables directly from the command line.
And for all Windows users out there, you can always find software for that purpose. A quick search will get you the right programs, along with instructions on how to use them correctly.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Tracing someone's location should not be abused by any means. The worldwide and wild web is a land of freedom for everyone. You live and let others live, as well. Respect other users' right to privacy and only employ the techniques showcased here for your own protection, when needed. We hope the methods described in this article will help you answer how to trace an email address from Gmail.
IP addresses can be changed or hidden, and time zones and social media profiles can be faked. Electronic mail scams are not the only danger on the internet. Research various tools and techniques that can help you keep your privacy and your data safe. Finally, here's a quick email security checklist for you:
- Look for suspicious speech patterns
- Look for suspicious requests
- If in doubt, trace the email to Gmail
- Block the unwanted users directly or through IP
- Ensure the addresses that just mailed you belong to someone you know or a reputable organization.
- If there are more doubts, attempt the social media search
- Report the account to tech support