What is Email Forwarding

Email forwarding services allow users to create email aliases, which are addresses that forward messages to a user's actual email address. These aliases act as a shield for their real email address.

Instead of sharing [email protected], a user might use something like [email protected]. Services like Apple’s Hide My Email, Firefox Relay, SimpleLogin, and AnonAddy offer this functionality.

Why do users use email forwarding?

Users primarily use email forwarding for privacy and spam management. It allows them to "cut the cord" between an email sender and their real email address at any time, without needing to unsubscribe from the sender.

What is the deliverability of email forwarding?

Emails will be delivered as long as the user keeps their email aliases active. Once they disable an alias, emails will no longer be delivered.

What's the difference between email forwarding and disposable emails?

Disposable emails are short-lived and often used once before being discarded. Email forwarding, however, is designed for long-term use. It maintains a connection to the user’s inbox while giving users the option to disable forwarding whenever they choose.

Should your business accept email forwarding?

Unlike disposable emails, users with email forwarding can be legitimate users who want to protect their privacy. However, email forwarding can still be used to abuse your service, such as by creating multiple accounts.

The decision to accept email forwarding ultimately depends on your risk tolerance and business needs.

How to detect email forwarding?

You can use UserCheck's email verification API to detect email forwarding.

Request example:

curl -X GET "https://api.usercheck.com/email/[email protected]" \
     -H "Authorization: Bearer <api_key>"

Response example:

{
    "status": 200,
    "email": "[email protected]",
    "domain": "example.com",
    "mx": false,
    "disposable": false,
    "public_domain": false,
    "relay_domain": false,
    "alias": false,
    "role_account": true,
    "did_you_mean": null
}

In the response, you can see the relay_domain field. If it's true, the email is a relay domain.