Fake email checker
Made-up names, burner inboxes and typos all look fine on a form. Enter an address and we ask its mail server, then check the provider behind it.
The short version
- Fake or dead: the mailbox doesn't exist or the domain has no mail server. Reject it.
- Real mailbox, throwaway provider: it works today and disappears soon. Ask for a work or personal address.
- Not a fake address: a real mailbox on a normal domain. Keep it.
- Accepts every address: a catch-all domain. The address may be invented, so watch whether it ever engages.
Four kinds of fake, and how each one shows up
People hand over fake addresses to get past a gate: a download, a trial, a coupon. Bots fill forms with them by the thousand. Each kind leaves a different trace, so the check looks for each one.
| Kind of fake | Example | How the check catches it |
|---|---|---|
| Invented mailbox | qwerty123@gmail.com | Server answers 550 at RCPT TO: invalid |
| Dead domain | name@old-company.example | No MX record: invalid |
| Typo | name@gmial.com | Did-you-mean suggestion |
| Burner inbox | name@mailinator.com | Disposable flag |
Our disposable list starts from the open-source disposable-email-domains project and adds our own finds, refreshed every week. You can browse it on the disposable domains page.
Stop fakes at the form, not after the send
A fake address costs you twice. It inflates your sign-up numbers, and later it bounces or rots your open rate. Checking at the form fixes both. The real-time API returns a result while the visitor is still on the form, and you decide whether to accept it.
For a list you already have, the bulk verifier checks every row and keeps your columns. You get 100 free credits every month with no card, and unknowns are never billed. The disposable email blocking guide shows the form setup step by step.
Fake email questions
How do I know if an email address is fake?
Check three things: whether the domain has a mail server, whether that server accepts the exact mailbox, and whether the domain is a throwaway provider. A fake address fails the first two; a burner passes them but sits on a disposable domain. ZapBounce runs all three in one free check.
What counts as a fake email address?
Anything you can't reach next month. That covers invented mailboxes like asdf@gmail.com, domains with no mail server, typos such as gmial.com, and disposable inboxes that expire within hours or days.
Can a fake email checker stop fake sign-ups on my form?
Yes, with the API. ZapBounce's real-time endpoint returns the same result and flags while the visitor is still on the form, so you can ask for another address before the account is created.
Are Gmail and Outlook addresses ever fake?
Yes. Anyone can type a Gmail address that was never created. The free-provider flag tells you it's a personal account; the mailbox result tells you whether it exists.
Keep fake addresses off your list for good
Put the same check on your sign-up form with one API call. Every result comes back as valid, invalid, catch-all or unknown.