Email temp: what it is and how
to avoid it - a complete guide

In addition to spam, hundreds of billions of email messages are sent every day, for the most diverse purposes: individual communications, negotiations between professionals, newsletters, offer emails and transactional messages of all kinds.

Faced with this exponential growth in messages, email providers and users have been looking for solutions to protect their personal data, keep their privacy and their personal email boxes safe from spammers.

Among the attempts to solve this problem, email temp services (aka temporary email) have been created.

This article explores the different aspects of disposable (or temporary) emails, their supposed usefulness and market challenges.

What is email temp?

Email temp, also known as temporary email or burner email, is a type of email address created for temporary use that is discarded after a period of time.

While traditional emails are intended to be used indefinitely, storing messages, history, personal settings, on free or private providers (usually for work purposes), the purpose of disposable email is precisely to be an email solution capable of meeting specific needs, quickly and anonymously. And, finally, to have this address discarded after fulfilling its role, without further complications.

There are also other types of email where the email username (local-part) can be replaced or discarded, but the main email box remains unchanged. In this way, secrecy about the actual type of email remains.

This type of temporary/discardable email service was launched and has grown as a response to the rising tide of spam emails and the need to preserve online privacy.

Another name by which disposable emails are called is “burner email”, due to their self-destructing characteristic.

However, as we will see later, disposable email is not always used for positive and friendly purposes.

The types of temporary email

Contrary to what you might think, there isn't just one type of email address that can be considered an email temp / temporary email.

You will see below the three main types of disposable email services that you can find on the Internet, both free and paid.

Temporary email

A temporary email (aka email temp), by definition, is an email account that can be used quickly to carry out an action in which the email address is needed, such as a subscription that requires email confirmation (double opt-in), and which after a previously stipulated period is deactivated and becomes inaccessible (even to its temporary owner).

Summary of Features:

• Emails are active for a limited period (from minutes to weeks)
• Does not require the use of your main email address
• After the stipulated period, the email is automatically deactivated and becomes inaccessible
• Free service, but there are extra features (PRO) that can be purchased

How email temp works

Users wishing to use a temporary email address must access one of the websites offering this type of service on the Internet.

When they visit the service's web page, in most cases a temporary email address will be offered automatically. Along with this email, you will be offered an inbox, also on a temporary basis, where incoming messages will be displayed and accessed.

Depending on the service, some extra settings may be offered, such as the period for which this temporary email will be functional and even avatar images for registrations.

Simply copy the email address offered and use it for the desired registration. Any registration confirmations, transactional messages, etc., will be sent to this email and displayed on the screen.

After the programmed period, the user loses access to this email address inbox and the messages stored in it.

Alias email

Alias email works as alternative email addresses that redirect messages to a primary email address. An alias serves as a message forwarding service.

How it works couldn't be simpler: the email user creates an alias for their main email address. In other words, the main email address is "[email protected]", but the user can create an alias as "[email protected]". Thus, any email sent to the alias "[email protected]" is automatically redirected to the main email "[email protected]".

This way, the user doesn't have to divulge their main email in registrations and registers and can undo, change or create new aliases whenever they want.

In short, when an alias starts receiving spam or becomes unwanted, the user can simply deactivate or delete it, stopping all emails sent to that alias and thus unwanted communications, without having to give up their main email.

Summary of Features:

• Requires the use of your main email
• It's not a third-party service, but a setting available in the email itself
• Nicknames or pseudonyms (aliases) are created for this main email account
• The alias email redirects messages to the primary email, without the need to disclose it
• The alias can be deleted or changed whenever the user wishes
• The history of messages received remains stored and available to the user

How using an email alias as a disposable email works

As we have seen, a user can create numerous email aliases for a single main email account. This user can then register with various web services, using these various email addresses that point to the same main email.

When deleting or changing an alias, any messages sent to that alias will be classified as a hard bounce (permanent error).

Unlike classic disposable email (which we explained above), the main email address behind an alias will remain in existence and therefore its entire history of incoming messages is preserved.

Email Forwarding Service

This is not necessarily a disposable or temporary type of email, but it can be used for this purpose.

Email forwarding services work by combining the features of disposable email and email aliases. The difference is that, here, there may or may not be message storage, with the configuration of a message redirection.

Summary of Features:

• It is an outsourced service
• Message forwarding is done using aliases
• Message storage is optional
• When there is no storage, it is mandatory to provide a personal email address
• When there is storage, a kind of personal email is created in the service account
• The same alias can forward messages to numerous emails
• The alias can be changed or deleted at any time
• There may or may not be a history of messages, depending on what has been contracted

How the email forwarding service works

By visiting the email forwarding service website, the user can create an email alias, which can be complete (local-part and domain) or partial (local-part only).

Next, the forwarding or routing of messages will be configured. Here, depending on the service offered, the same alias can forward the message to several email addresses.

This is a more complex service and differs from classic email temp. For this reason, there is a greater tendency for companies to use this type of email service.

Purpose of email temp

The original purpose of using temporary email is for users of these emails to be able to sign up and validate their registration (double opt-in) on online sites, especially those whose reputation is unknown or dubious, without exposing their primary email addresses to spam messages, data sharing without consent, and other risks.

Malicious use of temporary email

Although the temporary email service has been designed and developed for legitimate purposes of confidentiality and data protection, many people misuse it, just as in the case of spam, where the legitimate channel (email) is used for malicious purposes.

Here are some inappropriate uses of disposable email.

Abuse in fraud

Temporary emails (email temp) can be used in fraudulent activities precisely because of their anonymous and temporary nature.

Scammers can use temporary emails, for example, for phishing email campaigns. After approaching and taking advantage of their victims, the emails are easily discarded, making it very difficult to trace these people.

In addition, e-commerce platforms can be defrauded with fake credit cards, used by people who have validated their registration through disposable emails. At the end of a sale, there is a financial loss and the fraudster's email cannot be traced.

Distribution of malware

Malicious people can use disposable emails to spread malicious software simply and anonymously, with email messages containing links to malicious websites, attachments infected with malware, capable of stealing login and password data for social networks, credit card data, among others.

Creating fake accounts

The ease with which email temp can be created makes them ideal for creating multiple fake accounts on various online platforms. On this subject, we can mention at least three situations:

Manipulation of rating systems: service rating systems based on email subscriptions can be easily manipulated to deceive other users about the quality of a product or service.

Manipulation of online voting: online voting websites can have their results manipulated to benefit someone or some idea, simply by using numerous disposable addresses to validate votes.

Abuse of promotion and discount systems: e-commerce platforms that, for example, offer discounts to new users can be abused by users using several emails to obtain discounts over and over again.

The impact of email temp on email marketing and e-commerce

Although they can be an interesting and useful device for users, in terms of anti-spam tactics, temporary emails are far from positive for email marketing and the companies that benefit from the good practices of this powerful digital communication channel.

Negative impacts on email marketing

As you can see from SafetyMails' article on email bounces, the existence of invalid (non-existent) emails on your mailing lists can be extremely negative for your email marketing.

The email marketing problems that arise from too many bounces form a chain reaction. Among the problems you may face are:

Increased bounce rates

Temporary emails are only valid for a period of time and become invalid shortly afterwards. As a result, hard bounce rates will increase.

Sending lists with only around 3% hard bounces already trigger mechanisms at email providers. This problem leads to:

Email delivery blocks

Exceeding the providers' tolerance threshold for hard bounce rates will inevitably lead to delivery blocks promoted by anti-spam protection systems.

This blockage will also prevent valid emails from being delivered. This protective action will cause:

A drop in the domain's reputation score

The email domain score, which evaluates the behavior of the email sender for email providers, is severely damaged when email providers' protection mechanisms are triggered because of hard bounces (invalid emails).

This drop in reputation can lead to email marketing campaigns being blocked. In addition, the increase in hard bounces due to the existence of temporary emails on mailing lists can cause email providers to report the sender's IP address and domain on block lists.

Registration of domain and IP address on blacklists

One of the problems associated with bad email marketing practices, such as hard bounce mailing lists, is the registration of email senders' IP addresses and domains on blacklists, such as Barracuda, Spamhaus, Spamcop, URBL, Sorbs, among many others.

When a sender is blacklisted, various consequences can occur, affecting the sender's ability to send emails and its online reputation with various email providers, including corporate ones.

Therefore, when a sender carries out practices of dubious quality in email marketing, this can affect the sending structure of the email marketing platform contracted, which can have its IP ranges blacklisted.

Therefore, email marketing platforms adopt very strict policies to combat spam, imposing severe punishments on users who repeat certain practices.

Sending email marketing campaigns to lists with high rates of invalid emails can also have very negative consequences for the sender's sending structure.

Suspension of email marketing and hosting services

Yes, it's true. Many email marketing and automation platforms have clauses in their terms of use and anti-spam policies that can lead to the unilateral cancellation of the service offered.

Replacing the sending platform is no easy task: all the security settings will need to be done again on a new platform. In addition, all automatic emails and sending flows will need to be configured from scratch.

What's more, if the sender's domain is severely restricted and blacklisted, even a new platform won't be able to successfully send email campaigns due to low reputation blocks.

There are also many cloud hosting datacenters that can cancel services, leading to the disconnection of email and hosting services, due to bad email sending practices.

Negative impacts of email temp on the E-commerce and SaaS markets

The E-commerce and SaaS markets are some of the most affected by the use of disposable email.

Among the problems caused are:

Difficulty in building customer relationships

One of the objectives of e-commerce and other digital businesses is to establish a lasting relationship with their customers, through relationship marketing, promotion and other actions.

This relationship keeps customers close to the brand, enabling new purchases, good testimonials about products and service and referrals of new customers.

However, when new customers use temporary emails to make purchases on e-commerce sites or to use online services (SaaS - Software As a Service), they prevent this relationship from being established and developed, harming even the user, who may miss out on promotional actions, such as discount coupons.

In addition, when the temporary email expires, communication about problems with orders, refunds or exchanges will be prevented from taking place, also harming the user.

Increase in fake accounts and fraud

Disposable emails can be used to create multiple fake accounts on e-commerce and SaaS websites. This can distort marketing data, influence loyalty programs and result in abuse of promotions and discounts.

In addition, malicious users can use fake accounts to make fraudulent credit card purchases with illicitly obtained data.

Problems with email marketing

As previously mentioned, the existence of disposable emails in web companies' registers can lead to an unexpected increase in hard bounces, leading to blocking, a drop in reputation, a reduction in inbox placement (deliverability) and an increase in emails sent to the spam folder.

Other critical problems are an increase in the cost per lead, a reduction in conversion rates and, consequently, in the ROI (return on investment) of email marketing actions. This is because invalid emails will never convert new sales and email campaigns that are being blocked will also fail to contact valid emails.

Privacy and data security risks of temporary email services

Although the use of disposable email / burner email can have positive purposes for its users, avoiding avalanches of unwanted emails, you need to be aware that this is not a definitive solution, much less one that is above reproach.

Just like any other online offer, you need to know exactly where certain services come from, the level of security they have and their commitment to security, privacy and data protection.

While researching the many temporary email services available, we noticed companies that were committed to the level of service offered. However, in most cases, this was because these companies offer other online services, requiring greater professionalism.

However, as expected, many of these services offer high risks for their users:

• People, not companies: there are services that are not even offered by companies, but by individuals.
• No contracts: there are websites that don't even have terms of use and privacy policies. Or they have “fake” contracts, originating from blatant copy/paste, including “name placeholders”.
• Ownership: there have been cases in which the terms of use make it clear that content that passes through these temporary email platforms, both for receiving and sending messages, becomes the property of the platform and can be used for reproduction, distribution, derivative works and public display, in any medium, without the possibility of claiming rights, which are now assigned to the platform.
• Privacy: there have also been cases where the platform's terms state that it can share your personal data for other purposes, including offering products, services and promotions.
• Quality: there have been cases where the service has admitted that there may be changes to the content of the email during transit or storage.
• Security: when visiting one of the sites, antivirus alerts blocked access. No comments.
• Data protection: some services originate from countries without clear data protection policies, such as Guinea-Bissau.

So never trust an online service blindly. Whether it's a disposable email service, e-commerce or that amazing website where you can download videos from instagram and tiktok. Always seek information about everyone and, above all, read their terms of use.

How to identify and remove temporary emails from your mailing list

The best way to avoid problems with temporary emails is to try to prevent new registrations from being made using this type of email and to remove any temporary emails that may already be part of your mailing lists before any new email campaigns are sent.

You can quickly identify disposable emails with email verification.

SafetyMails

SafetyMails offers email validation and verification solutions that can identify and eliminate:

• Invalid emails
• Temporary emails
• Spamtraps
• Catch-all emails
• Junk emails

Email verification at registration points - API for forms

In addition to cleaning mailing lists, you can also rely on real-time email verification services on your registration forms. In this way, you prevent new accounts from being created with unwanted emails, such as temporary emails.

Another advantage of real-time email verification: the reduction of losses in lead generation by avoiding invalid emails in the registration form and optimizing the CPL (cost per lead).

SafetyMails' email verification is among the most reliable and accurate, as well as having the fastest real-time API responses.

Conclusion

For users, disposable emails offer a convenient solution for protecting privacy and avoiding spam. However, for online companies (such as e-commerce and SaaS), they also present challenges, especially in relation to use for malicious purposes.

Users also need to be aware of the temporary email services on offer, since not all of them are committed to privacy, data protection and the fight against spam.

It is therefore important that both users and organizations understand the benefits and risks of using disposable emails, balancing the need for privacy with online security.

Ultimately, all actions taken to combat spam and improve privacy will continue to play an important role in digital communication as technology and security practices evolve.