How Honeytoken Email Aliases Work
A "honeytoken" is a unique decoy email address created solely for one specific third-party service. By appending a unique tag (e.g. [email protected]) whenever you register on a site, that address becomes permanently tied to that vendor in their database.
The Smoking Gun Test
If you register at example.com using
[email protected], and three months later you receive unsolicited spam from an insurance company addressed to [email protected], you have undeniable proof that example.com suffered a data breach or sold your contact info.
Steps to Set Up an Anti-Spam Honeytoken System
- Generate Unique Aliases: Use our Gmail Generator Tool to generate custom plus tags for every new app or service.
- Monitor Incoming Mail: When spam arrives, check the
To:header in Gmail by clicking the three dots next to Reply > Show original. - Block the Leaked Alias: If an alias gets spammed, create a single rule for
to:([email protected])and choose Delete it. Your main address remains completely safe and untouched!
Learn more about securing your email in our Gmail privacy & security checklist.
Try the Free Gmail Alias Generator
Generate up to 5,000 dot variations and plus tags instantly in your browser with zero data stored.