I received an email from someone I don't really know

Hi gurus.

So, I'm not completely inexperienced with computing and security.

My question is around an email I received recently, that had a different return email address from the email address that it was sent from. The sending one is an outlook email address. The return address is a gmail account.

The outlook address in 111. The gmail one is 11171. I've replied to the original, and commented that I was querying the different email addresses. Her reply was:

"I'm a little confused about your Reply email address being different from your Original email address at bigpond."

What I need to do is somehow confirm that they belong to the same person.

What are your suggestions?

Thanks in advance.

PapaDingo

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Accepted answers

Bonfire9911

You seem eager to correspond with somebody that you don't know. Is there something in the email that attracts you? Have you tried running its content through Scamio?

https://scamio.bitdefender.com/chat

Flexx

https://community.bitdefender.com/en/discussion/104869/i-received-an-email-from-someone-i-dont-really-know

Thank you for your question—it's smart to be cautious when email addresses don’t match. This is often a sign of phishing or other scams. Here's a simple explanation of what might be happening and how you can verify the sender.

Why Do Email Addresses Sometimes Mismatch?

Forwarding or Aliases: Some people forward emails from one account to another. For example, they may receive emails at Outlook but reply from Gmail. This can cause the "From" and "Reply-To" addresses to look different.
Settings Error: The sender may have misconfigured their email settings.
Spoofing: This is the most serious concern. Scammers can fake the "From" address to look like someone you know, while the "Reply-To" address sends your response to them.

What Does the "Bigpond" Comment Mean?

The mention of "Bigpond" could mean:

Confusion: The sender may have misunderstood your question or referred to an old email.
Distraction: They might be trying to shift attention away from your concern. Bigpond is an Australian email provider, so they could be implying your email is linked to it.

How to Confirm the Sender’s Identity

Call or Text: Use a trusted phone number you already have—not one from the suspicious email.
Check the Context: Does the message make sense based on your relationship with the sender? Are they asking for something unusual?
Cross-Check: Look at other contact details you have (e.g., LinkedIn, business cards) to see if the email matches.

For Advanced Users: Check Email Headers

Email headers show technical details about how the message was sent.
Look for fields like Reply-To, Return-Path, and Received to trace the email’s origin.
This method is technical and may require expert help to interpret.

What You Should Avoid

Don’t click on links.
Don’t download attachments.
Don’t share personal or financial information.
Don’t feel pressured to act quickly.

Additionally, as @Bonfire9911 mentioned in a previous comment, you can use Bitdefender Scamio to help assess whether an email is genuine or potentially a scam or phishing attempt.

However, keep in mind that Scamio is powered by AI, and while it's a helpful tool, it isn't perfect. It may occasionally misjudge the difference between a legitimate message and a scam. That’s why manual review and human judgment are still essential, especially when dealing with sensitive or high-risk communications.

If you're ever unsure, it's best to verify through trusted channels before taking any action.

Regards

All comments

Bonfire9911

You seem eager to correspond with somebody that you don't know. Is there something in the email that attracts you? Have you tried running its content through Scamio?

https://scamio.bitdefender.com/chat

Flexx

https://community.bitdefender.com/en/discussion/104869/i-received-an-email-from-someone-i-dont-really-know

Why Do Email Addresses Sometimes Mismatch?

Forwarding or Aliases: Some people forward emails from one account to another. For example, they may receive emails at Outlook but reply from Gmail. This can cause the "From" and "Reply-To" addresses to look different.
Settings Error: The sender may have misconfigured their email settings.
Spoofing: This is the most serious concern. Scammers can fake the "From" address to look like someone you know, while the "Reply-To" address sends your response to them.

What Does the "Bigpond" Comment Mean?

The mention of "Bigpond" could mean:

Confusion: The sender may have misunderstood your question or referred to an old email.
Distraction: They might be trying to shift attention away from your concern. Bigpond is an Australian email provider, so they could be implying your email is linked to it.

How to Confirm the Sender’s Identity

Call or Text: Use a trusted phone number you already have—not one from the suspicious email.
Check the Context: Does the message make sense based on your relationship with the sender? Are they asking for something unusual?
Cross-Check: Look at other contact details you have (e.g., LinkedIn, business cards) to see if the email matches.

For Advanced Users: Check Email Headers

Email headers show technical details about how the message was sent.
Look for fields like Reply-To, Return-Path, and Received to trace the email’s origin.
This method is technical and may require expert help to interpret.

What You Should Avoid

Don’t click on links.
Don’t download attachments.
Don’t share personal or financial information.
Don’t feel pressured to act quickly.

Additionally, as @Bonfire9911 mentioned in a previous comment, you can use Bitdefender Scamio to help assess whether an email is genuine or potentially a scam or phishing attempt.

If you're ever unsure, it's best to verify through trusted channels before taking any action.

Regards

PapaDingo

No I haven't.
The interest is more professional. The name is one that is associated with Dementia, which is the field of work I am involved in.

I'll try that link.

PapaDingo

You may well have hit the nail on the head. I clicked on checking LinkedIn. Should have done it before.

The name wasn't the issue, but the description of their role was an instant flag..

Project Manager at traditional madication

Interesting. MADICATION

Then added to that….

City of Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa Contact info

South Africa? hmmm.. Melbourne, vic. sure, but South Africa?

Interestingly, the original email passed all flags…

Original message

Message ID	<20250802214705.EB3F9491188E6C03@bigpond .com>
Created on:	3 August 2025 at 14:48 (Delivered after 3 seconds)
From:	Janney ** <socr*****@bigpond .com>
To:	#########@gmail .com
Subject:	Quick Response
SPF:	PASS with IP 203.42.22.24 Learn more
DKIM:	'PASS' with domain bigpond.com Learn more
DMARC:	'PASS' Learn more

Thank you all for your advice

PapaDingo

Since my last comment, I was able to contact real person, and she let me know she had been hacked a while ago, had sorted it out, but obviously, these hackers still have her info for sale on the dark web, I'm guessing.

Thank you all for your advice.

Alexandru_BD

@PapaDingo thanks for sharing your experience here. This is yet another example on how these scammers operate, using leaked data for phishing and social engineering to commit more targeted fraud.