ORIGINAL SOURCE: https://pursuitmag.com/unlocking-troves-of-data-from-an-email-address/

Many investigators overlook the true value of discovering someone’s email address. It’s not merely a point of contact; rather, it serves as a gateway to a wealth of publicly available and free information. In this article, I hope to shed light on the resources and methodologies for leveraging Open-Source Intelligence (OSINT) associated with email addresses, particularly on the “Deep Web,” a shadowy online underworld that search engines can’t reach.

Let’s delve into the methods:

1. Prospect-Seeking Websites

Data brokers like apollo.io, aihitdata.com, contactout.com, and rocketreach.co help recruiters and sales reps search for potential employees and prospective customers. They also house a trove of data on professional people, including their employment backgrounds and contact information. Using these sites, you can either directly search for an email address or cross-reference it with other known information about the person.

2. People Search Websites

Inputting an email address into free people search engines such as thatsthem.com, searchpeoplefree.com, and truepeoplesearch.com can help you find contact details like phone numbers and addresses, and can even identify additional leads such as familial relationships and previous addresses. By exploring cohabitants and their associations, you can glean valuable context about the email owner.

3. Data Breach Websites (DBWs)

Data-breach databases like haveibeenpwned.com, leaklookup.com, and dehashed.com notify you whether an email address has been compromised in any data breaches, potentially revealing sensitive information tied to online accounts. This can range from innocuous breaches to more sensitive data thefts, providing crucial insights into a person’s online activities.

4. Email Verification Sites

Email validation services such as verifalia.com and zerobounce.net allow you to verify the existence of an email address and identify other associated addresses with similar usernames but different domains. This can help you uncover additional accounts linked to the same person.

5. Email Profilers

Research tools like emailrep.io and synapsint.com provide comprehensive insights into an email address’s history, including its duration of use and associations with social media platforms like LinkedIn or X (formerly Twitter). These profilers also conduct Mail Exchange (MX) Lookups, which determine whether an email server at any given domain is sending and receiving emails properly—essential information for investigative purposes.

6. IntelTechniques Tool

This versatile tool, available at inteltechniques.com/tools/Email.html, aggregates data from various OSINT websites, offering a comprehensive approach to email address investigation.

7. Epieos

This powerful reverse lookup tool, accessible at epieos.com, offers a range of services, including checking if an email address is registered to Google or Skype accounts and compiling a list of websites where the email has been used to register accounts.

By harnessing these resources and methodologies, investigators can unlock a trove of information associated with email addresses, offering valuable insights into individuals’ backgrounds, activities, and online presence.

In the digital realm, email addresses serve as windows into people’s lives. Understanding the true value of an email address empowers us to navigate the digital landscape with precision and responsibility. Let us continue to unlock its potential ethically, one email address at a time.

TOM CALIENDO·

INVESTIGATIONTHE BUSINESS