Reverse Email Search, Email Look Up, Email Trace - Whats the Difference?

Many people find them self in a situation where they need to locate or identify a person from an email address. The first thing they will do is go online and look for an email trace, reverse email search or email look up. What they will find as results will vary greatly from free instant online searches to email investigations that can run into thousands of dollars.

Lets take a look at the various service and get a working definition.

REVERSE E-MAIL LOOKUP:
This is almost always a free instant online database search. You put the address into the appropriate field and hopefully it will return a name and address. Common free reverse email look ups are Whitepages.com and Bigfoot.com.

REVERSE E-MAIL SEARCH:
This will usually pop up as an advertisement when your free reverse email look up fails. It's a paid search, usually around thirty to forty dollars. It is also an instant data base . This database will include "unlisted" email address information obtained from lists and online searches.

Reverse E-mail Trace:
A trace is a full investigation into the real identity of the person that sent the email. It is not instant although the investigation can often be completed quickly. It will often include a header trace and comparison. This will identify the actual person behind the email address and not just the fictitious information anyone can enter when opening a free anonymous e-mail account like Yahoo or Hotmail. An email trace is usually required when you are dealing with online harassment or defamation by a cyber stalker.

The information found in an email look up or reverse email search can be fictitious or made up information. It is also not reliable enough to be used in court where as a reverse email trace report can be used in court if provided by an experienced investigator recognized as an export in the field.

If you need an email trace report the prices can vary so be sure to investigate the investigator before hiring him. Do a quick Google search to see if the company you are hiring is recognized as a authority or expert in e-mail tracing before hiring them.