Is a Catch-All email the same thing as a Risky Email?
Yes, in the context of email validation, Catch-All emails and Risky emails are often considered the same due to the way they are treated by most SMTP-based validation tools and data providers. Here’s why:
1. How SMTP-Based Tools Classify Catch-All Emails:
Catch-All emails are associated with servers configured to accept all emails sent to any address within their domain, regardless of whether the specific email address exists or is active. When an SMTP-based validation tool, such as ZeroBounce, NeverBounce, or MillionVerifier, attempts to verify these email addresses, the Catch-All server responds positively to every query. As a result, these tools classify such email addresses as Catch-All or Accept-All rather than providing a definitive status of Valid or Invalid.
2. Why Catch-All Emails Are Considered Risky:
Most data providers, like ZoomInfo, Apollo, or Cognism, classify these Catch-All emails as Risky or Guessed. The reasoning behind this classification is the uncertainty involved; because a Catch-All server accepts all emails regardless of validity, there’s no clear indication of whether a specific email address is genuinely valid or will result in a bounce when an email is sent. Due to this ambiguity, these emails are labeled as risky. Additionally, data providers often assign a low confidence email validation score (typically under 90%) to these addresses, signaling to users that these emails might not be reliable.
3. Risk of Using Catch-All or Risky Emails:
Sending emails to Catch-All or Risky addresses can harm your email deliverability. Since these addresses might include invalid or inactive accounts, you risk increasing your bounce rates and potentially damaging your sender reputation. High bounce rates can lead to email service providers flagging your domain as spam or even blacklisting it, which can severely impact your ability to communicate with your audience effectively.
Why Scrubby Stands Out for Risky Emails:
Scrubby is designed to handle these uncertainties more effectively than standard SMTP-based tools. Unlike many validation tools that discard Catch-All or Risky emails, Scrubby incorporates advanced validation techniques that provide deeper analysis of these addresses. Scrubby helps you recover lost leads by identifying and validating risky emails that others often overlook, allowing you to make more informed decisions and optimize your email list’s performance.
