> Crime
> Email Verification
WARNING: This method may or may not be allowed by your service provider. Use it at your own risk.
This is a method that can be used to verify if an email address is active via the unix console. Comments are in blue. It does not always work. This example checks to see if test52673@hotmail.com is a valid email address, via the Linux operating system.
get the mail host: host -t MX <email domain> $ host -t MX hotmail.com Here's the list of email servers that accept email for hotmail.com hotmail.com mail is handled by 5 mx2.hotmail.com. hotmail.com mail is handled by 5 mx3.hotmail.com. hotmail.com mail is handled by 5 mx4.hotmail.com. hotmail.com mail is handled by 5 mx1.hotmail.com. End of mail server list $ Connect to the host on port 25: telnet <mail-host> 25 $ telnet mx1.hotmail.com 25 Trying 65.54.252.99... Connected to mx1.hotmail.com. Escape character is '^]'. 220 mc5-f30.law1.hotmail.com Microsoft ESMTP MAIL Service, Version: 5.0.2195.5600 ready at Mon, 13 Jan 2003 20:50:59 -0800 Your name/nickname helo BarkerJr 250 mc5-f30.law1.hotmail.com Hello [127.0.0.1] Your email address mail from: bark_jr@hotmail.com 250 bark_jr@hotmail.com....Sender OK Email address to be tested rcpt to: test52673@hotmail.com This address doesn't seem to be valid 550 Requested action not taken: mailbox unavailable rcpt to: bark_jr@hotmail.com This one is valid 250 Requested mail action okay, completed By typing "quit," no email is sent quit 221 Service closing transmission channel Connection closed by foreign host.
Some mail servers will accept an email and bounce it back later. The only sure way to know if an email address is active is by sending email to it. But, sending email to a spammer, directly, is considered baiting, and you can't really call further emails from him or her "unsolicited," can you?