How to Check if an Email Address Is Fake (Text Clues and a Mailbox Check)

Two checks, in that order, because the first is instant and the second is the one that proves something.

Step 1: read the text for red flags

Fake sign-ups are usually typed in a hurry by someone who wants a download or a trial and doesn't want your emails. The patterns repeat:

Pattern	Examples	Why it's a flag
Keyboard runs	asdfgh@, qwerty123@, zxcvb@	Someone dragged their fingers across the keys
Placeholders	test@, none@, noemail@, a@	The field was filled to get past validation
Repeated characters	aaaaaa@, 1111111@	Same reason
Reserved domains	anyone@example.com, me@something.test	Domains set aside for documentation and testing
Random strings	xkqjzhtrwv@, a long mix of digits and letters	Often machine-generated or mashed keys

The reserved domains are worth knowing. RFC 2606 and RFC 6761 set aside names such as example.com, example.org and anything ending in .test or .invalid for documentation and testing. A real person never has a mailbox there, so any address on those domains is fake by definition.

Random strings are the grey area. The checker marks them Suspicious, not Fake, because some real people do use handles that look like that.

Step 2: run the text check on the whole list

Open the fake email checker. Paste addresses one per line, or upload a CSV; the email column is found automatically and your other columns are kept. Press Find fake emails, then read the flagged rows. Looks fake means a placeholder or keyboard pattern; Suspicious means the text looks random.

You can download two files: the rows with no red flags, and the flagged rows to review. The check runs in your browser with JavaScript, so nothing you paste is sent to us.

Step 3: understand what a pass means

No red flags is not the same as valid. The text check only reads characters. It will pass:

• a careful fake like mike.jones84@gmail.com
• a real address that someone has since closed
• a typo domain such as gmial.com, if the text looks normal

So treat the text check as a cheap first filter. It removes the junk that is obvious before you spend anything on verifying the rest.

Step 4: ask the mail server

A mailbox check connects to the domain's mail server and asks, at the RCPT TO step of the SMTP conversation, whether it would accept mail for this address. It disconnects before any message is sent, so the person on the other end receives nothing. An unknown address on a normal domain comes back as 550 5.1.1, mailbox does not exist.

Paste one address into the box above, or the email checker. For a list, upload the CSV on the verify page. Each address comes back valid, risky or invalid with a reason. Some domains can't be fully confirmed: a catch-all domain accepts every address, so a mailbox check can only say risky, and some large providers don't always answer honestly. See what is a catch-all domain.

Step 5: check the other kinds of junk separately

Fake is one kind of bad address. Others need different checks:

Problem	Which check
Throwaway inbox services	The disposable email checker
Typo domains like gmial.com	The email typo corrector
Domains that can't receive mail	A domain MX check, covered in check if a domain accepts email
Shared inboxes like info@	Role-based email addresses
Addresses that don't exist	The mailbox check above

Stopping fake emails at the door

If fakes keep arriving through a form, check at the point of entry rather than cleaning later: reject syntax errors, offer a did-you-mean prompt for typo domains, block disposable domains and verify the mailbox before you send the welcome email. The guides on stopping fake signups, blocking disposable emails at signup and honeypot fields cover each step. A confirmation email proves the person can read the inbox, which no check on the address alone can.

What these checks can't do

• The text check can't tell a convincing fake from a real address.
• Suspicious rows are a guess.
• The text check doesn't know which domains are disposable; use the disposable check for that.
• A mailbox check can't confirm addresses on catch-all domains, and the result tells you the mailbox exists, not that the person will read your mail.

Check your own list

Run the text check in the fake email checker, then upload what is left on the verify page: the first 100 email checks are free with a Google sign-in, no card. You get valid, risky or invalid per address with a reason, and you can download only the safe-to-send rows. For larger or recurring lists, see bulk email verification, list cleaning and pricing.