We knock.
We open a standard SMTP connection to the server that receives mail for the address.
A little diligence goes a long way
FullArc Verify checks whether an email mailbox exists, so FullArc customers can avoid sending campaigns to addresses that would bounce. It asks the receiving mail server, then leaves. No message is ever sent.
We end the SMTP conversation before DATA, so nothing is delivered.
One list at a time, a few servers at once, and answers reused for 30 days.
An opted-out domain or mail host is never contacted again.
Our way of working
Responsible senders need clean contact lists. Receiving mail servers deserve limits, transparency and control.
We open a standard SMTP connection to the server that receives mail for the address.
We ask whether it would accept mail for that address. Some servers do not say either way.
We disconnect before any message could be sent, and record the answer for the customer.
Why it exists
Outdated lists cause bounces, and bounces hurt every sender on the same infrastructure. FullArc checks a list before a campaign starts, takes out addresses that would bounce, and does not email the ones it could not check.
Customers check their own contact lists inside FullArc. This service does not collect, buy, guess or sell addresses.
We publish our IP address, host name, envelope sender, the commands we send, our limits and how to opt out.
A note to mail administrators
It was a mailbox check for a FullArc customer. You can identify our connections, and ask us to stop contacting a domain or mail host.