One of the first ISPs is AOL, and though quite a few people have stopped using their services, millions of individuals continue to use their email services - which isn't surprising, considering that AOL offers their email services for free. Furthermore, AOL's email service, like many others, offers quite a few features that compliment the email address you'll receive when you sign up.

Email is so popular partly because there are so many users who frequently change addresses, often creating new accounts specifically for newsletter subscriptions and junk mail. Quite a few AOL accounts have been hijacked in the past and used by stalkers or individuals who are looking to send 'anonymous' emails to others. But here's the good news: if you've been getting unwanted email from an AOL address, it's entirely possible to use a reverse email search to find out who's responsible for sending the wanted letters.

A reverse email search through the appropriate email provider is always your best first option when it comes to hunting down the author of the emails you received. For example, if the email came from an AOL address, then use America Online's reverse search because it is the easiest to search AOL's own records for an AOL customer who has been bombarding you with unwated email and/or spam.

Nevertheless, if using the company's provided reverse search isn't providing accurate results, you don't have to give up - there are other options on the table. For starters, you can try using one of the many free, instant data base reverse email search engines available online - and even if these don't work out, you still aren't out of options. You can still hire a professional search service to find the perpetrator, and in many cases this is the best option because hackers, spammers, and stalkers will typically take steps to ensure that they aren't found. Email investigators are prepared for these strategies and can try to break through.

Remember that tenacity is key when it comes to finding who has been sending you hostile or otherwise unwanted emails. In the interim, you might want to consider shifting addresses yourself, or at least taking other steps to protect your internet safety - such as changing your email password periodically so that it's not easily guessed by cyber stalkers and identity thieves.

At the end of the day, tenacity will be the key to your success. The more patient you are, the more thorough your research shall be, and thus, the more likely it will be that you'll uncover the identity of the person who has been emailing you. Even if a private investigator is hired, it could take upwards of several weeks before you are able to find the information that you need - and they perform this kind of investigation every single day!

AOL is one of the oldest service providers you can find, and this applies to the email service as well. This is why it's usually possible to find someone you are looking for; every time we do anything online, we leave what is known as an internet 'footprint.' Follow these prints for long enough, and voila - you have your source! Someone using dial-up or anonymous proxy server might be able to avoid being identified for a little while, but no delay is an obstacle if you are willing to put the appropriate amount of time and persistence into your investigation. Best of luck!

Copyright (c) 2008 Ed Opperman