A Gmail address can be the missing piece that unlocks some of the most complex online investigations. For tracking down a mysterious individual, building up a threat intelligence profile, or cracking a tricky criminal case, a Gmail address is perhaps the single most useful piece of data you can possess. But how do you get the best from that Gmail address? Gmail OSINT, that’s how.
As the world’s most widely used email platform (sitting at around 2 billion active users, or about a quarter of the world population), Gmail is the nexus of activity across the global internet. More than just a point of contact, a Gmail address is often tied to social media accounts, online purchases, data breaches… and practically any other aspect of an individual’s digital footprint. Making it invaluable to investigators like you; with Gmail OSINT, you can turn that email address into clear, actionable insights.
In this handy guide, we’ll take you through the top four use cases for Gmail OSINT. We’ll cover common criminal strategies, and how to work around them - with step-by-step tools and techniques to get your investigation going smoothly. We’ll even give you examples of Gmail OSINT in action, with links to real-life case studies to bring key principles to life. Let’s get going.
Want to brush up on the basics of email OSINT? Check out our beginners’ guide to Email OSINT Tools.
1. Fraud Detection
Fraudsters love Gmail. It’s free, anonymous, and easy to set up - three features that make it perfect for dodgy dealings, from phishing campaigns to impersonation. It seems not a day goes by without news of a new-fangled Gmail scam, and even attempts to curb the problem regularly fall flat. Scammers will send fake invoices to businesses in the guise of valuable “clients”, or even create fake personas to win people’s trust (before cleaning out their accounts).
However, although Gmail’s combination of anonymity and accessibility may be irresistible to scammers, it also makes them easier than ever to pin down. By investigating the email itself, investigators can trace the source of a scam: dissecting the header data might reveal the sending server, or even the geographical origin of the message. Meanwhile, running the suspect Gmail address through OSINT tools - like OSINT Industries - can uncover linked usernames, real names, and more to help you unmask the man behind the Gmail. You could even uncover linked apps; these tools may turn up Whatsapp and Telegram groups the fraudsters are using to organise.
Find out how investigators used Gmail OSINT to uncover the fraudsters behind a fearsome phishing ring:
"The members of the Telegram group named ‘Darcula’ communicate exclusively in Chinese. No faces, only cryptic usernames and anonymous profile pictures … But who are they?"
Read: Darcula and the Magic Cat: How OSINT Unmasked a Phishing Tycoon
2. Threat Intelligence
Thanks to the ubiquity of Google logins, a Gmail address is often the lynchpin holding together a wider attack campaign. Hackers, social engineers, and the aforementioned phishing groups will often use Gmail - not just because of the usual fraud use cases, but also because its widespread use helps them blend into regular email traffic, making their attacks harder to detect.
That makes Gmail OSINT vital to building a threat intelligence profile. With Gmail OSINT, you can identify the bad actors targeting you, or your organisation. Analytical techniques like cluster analysis allow you to connect multiple Gmail addresses to a single operator, or even group emails with others that share similar content. Best of all, these tricks are easy to perform with AI and machine learning tools.
Or, you can use OSINT tools (like OSINT Industries) to do the hard work for you. Entering a Gmail address into the platform will bring up all the connected data it can find: from domain WHOIS lookups, to data breaches, to aliases. You can even visualise your brand new threat intelligence profile with OSINT Industries Palette.
See how UK threat intelligence investigators profiled key Russian bad actors with Gmail OSINT and OSINT Industries Palette:
“It's all real time intelligence, automating what you as open source intelligence analysts can do yourselves…”
Read: FSB Operatives Exposed: A Live OSINT Industries Palette Investigation
3. Due Diligence
In today’s digital-first workplaces, many interactions start with an initial email. Sometimes, we can work with people we’ve only ever met online; only making contact through our Gmail inboxes. This makes due diligence both a bigger challenge, and a bigger opportunity than ever.
Lucky for you, Google Workplace is the world’s most commonly used business communication platform - with over 6 million paying business customers, in over 100 languages. So, whether you’re hiring a freelancer, evaluating a supplier, or entering into a business partnership, you can rely on Gmail OSINT for an in-road to that all-important identity verification information.
Many legitimate businesses still use Gmail addresses instead of custom domains, so scammers will sometimes create convincing copies of legitimate business Gmails to trick you. To catch them out, start by cross-referencing that Gmail address with LinkedIn, then with international business directories. This should bring up context that verifies the address. If the address doesn’t have other legitimate activity - or brings up other, unconnected results - then you might be dealing with a corporate catfish.
Sometimes, suppliers aren’t who they say they are. See how investigators uncovered a drug dealing empire with Gmail OSINT:
“While advertising fentanyl precursors for ‘HYP Pharma’, Alias ‘F’ included a Gmail address… With OSINT Industries, this simple OpSec mistake was the key to a whole new investigative angle.”
Read: Julian, An OSINT Investigator Exposing the Truth About Chinese Fentanyl
4. Digital Evidence
Gmail OSINT is great for gathering digital evidence - sometimes, it can bring up data sturdy enough to stand up in a court of law, or a prestigious news publication. As long as your findings are fully-sourced and ethically collected, Gmail OSINT evidence can be the key to cracking the case. Here’s how.
Law Enforcement
For law enforcement (and independent investigators), Gmail OSINT can crack open a cybercrime case. Criminals often underestimate how much information a Gmail address can reveal, especially if they’re using that same login for third-party services across the world wide web. Each address can become a valuable lead.
For example, a criminal might register a domain to a certain Gmail address, and then use that same address to leave a public Yelp review… accidentally revealing his real name and location. OSINT tools like OSINT Industries will bring up this evidence automatically, fully-sourced and fully compliant with ethical and legal guidelines. Ensuring compliance with legal standards is essential so that the evidence can stand up in court.
See how Gmail OSINT unmasked one of the internet’s most prolific pedophiles - and brought out the evidence to prove him guilty.
“As one teen Redditor summarized on r/creepyPMs: ‘Yeah that site is mostly pedophiles. I'd stay away from it.’...”
Read: OSINT vs KidsChat: Who Owns the Web’s Oldest Predator Playground?
Journalism
The majority of journalistic OSINT work is piecing together what’s publicly available into a coherent narrative; and Gmail OSINT is perfect for this. Gmail address can unlock an entire web of connections if approached methodically. It can reveal new angles that shape a narrative, or even expose a larger conspiracy that lies hidden beneath a seemingly independent case.
More importantly, reporting ethically is crucial; journalists must navigate privacy concerns carefully, ensuring that they work within the bounds of open-source intelligence and respect the rights of those they investigate - something that cutting-edge Gmail OSINT technology makes easier than ever.
Take a look inside the modern newsroom with our Case Study:
“The number of email addresses Karina was unearthing was her signal to pivot her investigation again – this time to OSINT Industries. Karina ran this new address through our tool, and the results were surprising...”
Read: Welcome to the DARC Side: The OSINT Behind Global Journalism
