Patent ID: 7290035

Claim:
A method for email sender verification, the method comprising: (a) including a tag in an email, wherein said tag contains an identity datum for a sender of the email and said identity datum is stored in association with an email address of said sender at a server that is physically remote from both said sender and said recipient; (b) sending said email via a network, wherein a sender address becomes associated with said email; (c) providing at least said identity datum, taken from said tag, to said server to retrieve said email address of said sender; (d) comparing said email address with said sender address, thereby verifying that said email came from said sender when said email address and said sender address match; and (e) forwarding said email to one or more of a plurality of shadow email folders based on pre-set criteria for at least one of said email address and said sender address, wherein said shadow email folders have private email addresses that are not otherwise used.