I built Check This Email because I personally observed my mother, in the last five or so years of her life, get overwhelmed by email spammers and tricksters.
They flooded her inbox. And, as they got increasingly sophisticated, it became more and more difficult for her to separate fact from fiction, important things from the time wasting.
Because she didn't know what to trust, she couldn't trust anything. For her it was scary, stressful, exhausting and isolating.
Another thing that motivated me was simply her increasing struggle to sort out what an email was claiming, even if it was legitimate. Tons of graphics. Many links. Design meant to pop, less to be clear. Was the warning about an upcoming payment due real? Was the panicked fundraising email just more of the same?
No one wants to have to screen their parents' email, and the parents certainly don't want to be a bother — or lose their sense of independence.
My vision for Check This Email was a simple tool that anyone could use that would keep folks safe, and give them a hand in explaining complicated things in the inbox when they needed.
I hope you'll give it a try. Simply forward an email you're curious about, and we'll tell you whether it's safe, or answer just about any other question you could have about it.
Email info [at] checkthis.email, and let us know what you think.
John is a technology executive with over 25 years of experience building products that make complex things simple. He built Check This Email after watching his mother struggle with an inbox full of scams and confusing messages — and realizing millions of families face the same problem.
No signup needed. Just forward any email and see for yourself.
help [at] checkthis.emailFree plan includes 3 email checks per month.