Email Age Score Add-on, available in Real Contact API, returns a 0-100 value that indicates how long an email address has been active, giving you insight into the potential risk associated with that email address. It helps you flag newly created or disposable emails often linked to fraud. Scores of 30 or below usually signal fake or risky leads worth filtering out.
What is the Email Age Score? #
The Email Age Score is a score (0–100) that indicates how long an email has been active. It is a proxy for risk associated with an email address. This score is available as an add-on for Real Contact API.
Why is identifying the age of an email an important risk indicator? #
Email age is one of the most powerful predictors of user legitimacy and risk. Among the many attributes used to assess the risk profile of an email address, its age stands out because it directly reflects the history, stability, and potential intent behind the account.
Newly created or recently seen email addresses often signal temporary, disposable, or fraudulent usage. These are frequently associated with fake signups, spam, or other malicious activities. Older email addresses typically indicate more established, trustworthy users with a digital history that’s harder to fabricate.
What are the possible values the score can have? #
- Scores range from 0 to 100.
- If the email is invalid (is_valid=false), the score is NULL.
How to use the Email Age Score Add-on? #
To include the Email Age Score Add-on in a Real Contact API query, you’ll need to add a parameter to your request and capture the attribute for the Email Age Score in your response.
Add “add_ons=email_checks_age” to your query. For example, a full Real Contact API query with the Email Age Score Add-on would look like this:
https://api.trestleiq.com/2.0/real_contact?name=firstnamelastname&phone=3333333333&email=email%40sample.com&add_ons=email_checks_ageA sample response looks like this:
{
"phone": {
"contact_grade": "F",
"is_valid": true,
"activity_score": 100,
"line_type": "Mobile",
"name_match": true,
},
"email": {
"contact_grade": "F",
"is_valid": true,
"name_match": null
},
"address": {
"is_valid": true,
"name_match": null
},
"ip_address": {
"trust_score": null,
"ip_distance_to_address": null
},
"email_checks": {
"email_age_score": 10
}
},
"warnings": [],
"errors": null
}How to interpret Email Age Scores? #
If the check returns a value of 30 or below, this indicates that the email is likely associated with fake or fraudulent leads. We recommend you filter any of these emails out of marketing campaigns and/or assess the overall lead quality using other signals.
If the check returns a null value, the email is invalid (syntax error) and again should be filtered out.
Here’s a quick reference on how to read the score:
| Email Age Score | What it means | Recommended action |
| Above 30 | More established, more likely legitimate | Prioritize using Contact Grades and other signals |
| 30 or below | Likely fake or fraudulent leads | Filter out or verify with additional signals |
| NULL | Invalid email (syntax error) | Filter out of campaigns |
Want to see how these scores land on your own data? Run a sample file through our Real Contact Data Assessment. It verifies and scores up to 10,000 records with no signup required, so you can see how many freshly made, high-risk emails are sitting in your lead list today.
How to interpret Email Age Scores with Trestle’s other email intelligence attributes? #
Trestle provides email validity, deliverability and Contact Grades within Real Contact API. We recommend the following steps to help you prioritize your email leads:
- De-prioritize invalid emails
- De-prioritize undeliverable emails (see Email Deliverability Add-on)
- De-prioritize emails with <=30 age score
- Review contact grades and prioritize leads for email outreach
- Review IP intelligence signals to assess whether the interaction appears legitimate
Start a free trial of Real Contact API and add Email Age Score to your first queries for free. Pair it with the Email Deliverability Add-on for a fuller picture of email risk across your contacts.
Does the Email Age Score impact Email Contact Grades as well? #
Yes, the Email Age Score influences Email Contact Grades when the add-on is selected. Emails with consistent activity in our network maintain their grade, while newly seen emails are downgraded to reflect lower confidence in lead quality.
Does this score have additional costs? #
$0.005/query list price as an add-on to Real Contact API. Volume discounts will be available for enterprise users.
Can this be tested today? #
Yes, the Email Age Score is available to trial, self-serve, and enterprise users to test.
Do I need Real Contact API to use the Email Age Score Add-on? #
Yes. The Email Age Score is an add-on to Real Contact API, so it cannot be used alone.