Intro #
Introduction
If you have used MailboxValidator’s email validation service before, you may have noticed a result field called is_catchall, which indicates whether the email address being validated belongs to a catch-all domain. You might be wondering what a catch-all email is and whether it is a good or bad thing for an email address on your mailing list to be classified as one.
Purpose of a catch-all email #
A catch-all email address was originally introduced as a way to redirect emails sent to non-existent users on a particular domain to a designated mailbox, rather than informing the sender that the recipient does not exist. This allows the mail server administrator to review the message and, if appropriate, forward it manually to the intended recipient, especially in cases where the sender has made a typo in the recipient’s email address.
A magnet for spam #
Unfortunately, like many useful technologies, catch-all email addresses can be abused. Because a catch-all domain accepts emails sent to any username, spammers no longer need to guess which email addresses are valid. Instead, they can send spam to randomly generated usernames on the domain, knowing that the messages are likely to be accepted by the mail server.
What do I if I have a catch-all email in my mailing list? #
When someone has signed up for your mailing list using a catch-all email, there is no way to check if that email address actually exists as the recipient mail server will accept any emails sent to any address on that domain. The best way is to practice double opt-in and make the recipient verify that they can receive your email before allowing them to do anything on your website.
Do not send them any email other than the verification email until they are verified. This is to prevent you from being marked a spammer as some mail servers may use catch-all as a form of spam filtering.
Conclusion #
Conclusion
There is no reason to panic if your mailing list contains some catch-all email addresses. As mentioned above, the best practice is to use a double opt-in process. As long as recipients confirm their subscriptions and can receive your emails, there is no cause for concern.
On the other hand, if recipients do not verify their email addresses through the double opt-in process, you should exclude them from your mailing list.
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Get started with MailboxValidator #
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