Identifying the IP address of an email

Hello.
The IP address of an email can be found in the source code of the message (hence the importance of not deleting the original message in case of filing a complaint, as the investigator will use the original email for their investigations).

The method to display the source code of the message varies depending on the email software. In Outlook and Thunderbird, it seems that you have to open the message and then click on the "View" menu and then on "Source." You then need to start from the text of the message and go back up the data. The first email address encountered (usually preceded by from :) is followed by an IP address. It corresponds to the original sender. The other data generally corresponds to the various servers through which the message passed.

After discovering this IP address, you won't be able to go very far. In France, personal data is protected by law. No legal software or service will allow you to obtain a person's identity from their IP address, even if it is a static address.

So, with this IP address, you can use a "whois" service (just type whois in Google to see many sites offering this free service) to find out which internet service provider it is attached to. You can then send an email to this provider explaining your case and specifying the IP address and, especially, the date and time the message was sent. Indeed, if, like almost all French users, the address is dynamic, it may change with each connection, as a released IP address is almost immediately assigned to a new person requesting a connection (thus the importance of the date and time). But I don't think the provider will give you the identity. They will act directly with their client.

If this is a rather sensitive or more serious issue, filing a complaint with the national gendarmerie or the national police is an option. They will apply the same method and obtain from the internet service provider the identity of the "offender" to whom they will kindly ask for an explanation.

But, I repeat, there is no way to identify the user of an IP address, regardless of the program or website. Geolocation sites only locate ... the internet service provider, not the internet user. The only way would be to attack the service provider's database ... But that is illegal.

If you want more details on how to obtain the source code of the message, please let me know which email software you are using (or, if it's an online consultation, tell me if it's Hotmail, Gmail, Yahoo, etc.).

Good luck to all.