How to Identify Throwaway Email Usage
How to Identify Throwaway Email Usage
Identify throwaway email usage is important because these disposable addresses often clog your subscriber lists, skewing metrics like new user numbers. They also create a lot of bounces, which can damage your sender reputation with mailbox providers. But most of all, they show that people don’t feel comfortable giving out their premium contact information to your brand.
Many users obtain disposable email addresses through online services that offer short-lived accounts that automatically deactivate after a certain amount of time. Others use aliases or other forms of temporary address, such as email spoofing, to sign up for services and access gated content without fear of data breaches, spam messages, or unwanted communication.
While some of the legitimate reasons for using disposable emails include avoiding spam, maintaining privacy, or testing a website’s security, others are more malicious. Several disposable email domains have been used to commit data theft, ransomware attacks, and other types of cybercrime. Avito, the Russian classified ads site, has been particularly notorious for this.
The best way to prevent these disposable email addresses from being abused on your website is by implementing strict email verification and authentication practices. This can be as simple as requiring double opt-in during the subscription process or connecting an email verification API to inspect all new addresses before they’re added to your database. Alternatively, you can use an email validation service to identify these disposable addresses (marked as “Risky: Disposable”) and then either flag them as such or block them from joining your marketing lists altogether.