GuidesEmail verification
How to verify someone's email address
Ask if someone has a verified email address, a work email, an address at a company's domain like acme.com, or one that isn't a throwaway inbox. They prove it with a code sent to that inbox. You get a yes or no signed by Prson.
- Answered in the Prson app
- Signed by Prson
- Only the answer is shared
Email check
How it works
Three steps, on their phone.
Ask
Pick what you need to know in the Prson app and send it as a link, by WhatsApp, email or wherever you talk. Organisations can ask from their own website or app, or through an AI agent.
They prove it on their phone
If they haven't yet, they type a code that Prson sends to their inbox into the Prson app. Then they see who is asking and what, and choose to answer or decline.
Get a yes or no
The answer comes back signed by Prson, so it can't be edited, and it's valid for a limited time. You learn "Email at acme.com: yes" and nothing more.
What you can ask
Pick the question. Get a yes or no.
Where the answer comes from: a code sent to their email address.
Need the address itself? You can ask them to share it. They see that before they agree.
Not yet: A school or university email address: not available yet.
Search every fact Prson can verifyEmail facts in the developer docs
Honest limits
What a yes proves, and what it doesn't.
A yes proves
- They could read that inbox when they verified it.
- For a work email: the domain isn't on Prson's list of free or throwaway providers, like gmail.com or outlook.com.
- For an email at acme.com: they could read an inbox at exactly that domain.
A yes doesn't prove
- That they work for a company, or what their job is. A work email only means the domain isn’t a free provider: a personal domain counts too.
- That they still work or study at acme.com: only that they could read an inbox there when they verified.
- Who owns or runs the address.
- That an inbox isn't throwaway, for certain: the list of throwaway services is short and not complete, so a rare one can pass.
- The domain must match exactly: mail.acme.com and acme.com are different.
- An email verification lasts 180 days.
When people ask
A few examples.
- A partner who says they work at a company
- A group only for one organisation’s staff
- Sign-ups without throwaway inboxes
For organisations
Ask from your website, app or AI agent.
The same questions work through the Prson API: send the request, the person answers in the Prson app, and you get the answer signed by Prson.
Questions
Questions, answered.
Does "work email" prove where someone works?
No. It means their address isn't at a free or throwaway provider like gmail.com or outlook.com, and a personal domain counts too. To check one company, ask for an email at its domain, for example acme.com.
How do I check that someone works at a company?
Ask for an email at that company's domain. A yes proves they could read an inbox there when they verified. It doesn't prove they still work there, or what their job is.
Will I see their email address?
No, only the yes or no you asked for. If you need the address itself, you can ask them to share it, and they see that before they agree.
Can it spot every throwaway inbox?
No. Prson checks the domain against a short list of throwaway inbox services. The list isn't complete, so a rare one can still pass.
How long does an email verification last?
180 days. After that the person verifies their address again.
Does the other person need the Prson app?
Yes, to answer. The Prson app is free on iPhone and Android, and in private beta now. You don't need anything to ask but the app or a link from an organisation that uses Prson.
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