We all send numerous amounts of emails on a daily basis. We think we are simply sending messages that are 100% secure and private. Therefore we don’t hesitate about what information is being sent! However, if you knew the dangers of sending sensitive information over the internet would you still do it? I don’t believe so!
REASONS FOR SENDING ANONYMOUS EMAILS
There are various different reasons why you might want to send an anonymous email. Maybe you are sending sensitive info and you simply don’t want your identity being revealed! In this case, you will definitely benefit from having an anonymous email account.
Basic email accounts aren’t always suitable for your particular needs. Normal accounts obviously provide identifiable two-way communication which isn’t ideal if you want to stay hidden!
It’s common knowledge that if you witness a crime of some sort you want to do the right thing and report it but with this good deed comes many risks! Whether it’s a crime you have witnessed at home or in the workplace you could find yourself in a lot of unwanted trouble. At the end of the day, you're putting yourself at risk. For example, your employment could be terminated, you could receive harassment if your identity is revealed. You could even be taken to court, and no one wants any form of legal action against them, especially when you were trying to do the right thing!
Hiding behind an anonymous email can make you feel safe. It gives you that reassurance that you are protected and nothing can be traced back to you. Basically, anonymity means complete protection!
WHO IS THE MOST TARGETED?
One particular profession that seems to be targeted quite a lot is journalists/reporters. Quite often they are being watched and monitored by very powerful people including government officials! These people want their wrongdoings and secrets kept hidden so they will sometimes resort to crime in order to protect themselves and their secrets! Journalists need anonymous email accounts. They need this type of protection in order to communicate with their sources and be safe while doing so! An anonymous email account is just what they need to reduce the risks associated with such a position!
Maybe you just want an anonymous email account to avoid tracking and receiving unwanted spam. There are some companies out there that thrive on getting their hands on your email address information! They can access such information from websites and mailing lists! The main reason for doing this is so they can share your information with third parties. They basically use your information for email marketing campaigns!
Nobody wants their spam folder full of unwanted junk. The best solution to avoid an overflowing folder is to use an anonymous email address. It makes everything much simpler!
Do you realize that every single time you log in to certain online platforms with your personal email address, large corporate companies can access a lot of personal and valuable data about you? Two of the main culprits are Google and Facebook, they share it with third parties or they even just want to access it to use it themselves. This way they can send you targeted ads!
To keep yourself protected and anonymous here are some ways how to send an anonymous email!
1. Create a new email account
It’s basically one of the simplest ways to send an anonymous email. You can create an account with either Yahoo or Google but remember not to use your real name, D.O.B, or home address as the whole point of a fake account is to keep your identity a secret!
With creating a new account you will need to provide your telephone number. This is so the service provider can send a verification code to your device. This could obviously put you at risk as anything you send or receive can lead back to you!
Did you know that even without your real information your IP address is still visible? People could gain access to your information which could reveal both your location and identity! Most service providers are required by law to provide this information if need be. Law enforcement agencies could demand this information and in this case, it’s allowable!
Even if you create a new secure email account I would still advise you to use a VPN as this will change your IP address, making you completely untraceable.
2. You could use a burner email
Having one of these accounts will allow you to both send and receive emails while keeping your identity completely hidden. The great thing about a burner email is that the messages will expire after a certain amount of time. You don’t even have to have an account in order to send an email as you can send emails without one!
If it’s the case of only needing an account to send emails now and again you could use anonymous email to do so as it’s free, convenient, and easy to use. Always remember though that it’s still recommended to use a VPN as you will want to hide your location and keep your identity hidden before you send out any emails!
If it’s the case of needing a temporary account in order to receive messages then you could use Mailinator or TrashMail for your needs. With these accounts you won’t receive any spam nor are you required to use your real information either. Your real email address isn’t used and you can either provide one of Mailinator's public email addresses or use a disposable TrashMail account which will actually delete itself after a certain amount of time.
3. Use an encrypted email
With this option, you have all of the regular functions of a normal basic email account as you have both an inbox and contact list. Absolutely no one can view the content of your emails, not even the service provider can access this information. If you want an account where you will be communicating anonymously for a longer period of time then this option is perfect for ongoing communication! With different providers, you will have different features available to you, such as emails that self-destruct and being able to make anonymous payments too!
4. A VPN
It doesn’t matter what option you decide to go with, you should always use a VPN! Just because you aren’t using your real name to set up one of these anonymous email accounts you are still not 100% safe! Your IP address can still reveal both your location and identity! With a VPN your traffic is routed through the VPN server. That way it’s only the VPN’s IP address that’s visible!
There are so many VPNs to choose from, make sure you pick the right one for you! One that’s trusted and doesn’t log your information! Some VPNs do in fact log your information and your activity. They may sell it to third parties so be careful and go with the right provider!
Go with a VPN that doesn’t keep logs. There are service providers that have certain no log policies, meaning they don’t store any of your information nor can they share your information with anyone!
Even after all these precautions, there are still things that you need to consider before you even think about sending any emails which contain sensitive information!
- 1. Never use the same passwords that you have also used with old accounts!
- 2. I would suggest using a random password generator.
- 3. Keep all of your information safe where only you can access it, info such as your login info and passwords.
- 4. Remember not to include any personal information when creating accounts as this could quite easily lead back to you.
- 5. Definitely do not use your anonymous email address to log into other sites such as Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook!
Please remember that even if you're using a trusted VPN it’s always better to send your anonymous emails on a public network rather than from work or from home! Familiarise yourself with your VPN account, you will want to make sure it’s working correctly and not leaking your IP address. You're now good to go!
