Hi All
Is it possible to track/find out where an email originated from.
I am having massive problems with my new boss not showing up for work, and his only communications are via email. So I am trying to find out if he is sending these emails from his office or his home PC.

Thanks

Mike

P.S I have seen him once for 5 minutes in the last 3 weeks.  >:(

Mantahatch wrote on 17. Oct 2008 at 10:28:

Hi All Is it possible to track/find out where an email originated from. I am having massive problems with my new boss not showing up for work, and his only communications are via email. So I am trying to find out if he is sending these emails from his office or his home PC. Thanks Mike P.S I have seen him once for 5 minutes in the last 3 weeks.  >:(

are you using a works based email address or your personal one, of so who are you using?

Jay w wrote on 17. Oct 2008 at 10:31:

Mantahatch wrote on 17. Oct 2008 at 10:28: Hi All Is it possible to track/find out where an email originated from. I am having massive problems with my new boss not showing up for work, and his only communications are via email. So I am trying to find out if he is sending these emails from his office or his home PC. Thanks Mike P.S I have seen him once for 5 minutes in the last 3 weeks.  >:( are you using a works based email address or your personal one, of so who are you using?

Ah now this is where my knowledge of IT falls down, I believe he uses Outlook for email. I use the web based version here https://www.outlook.soton.ac.uk/exchweb/bin/auth/owalogon.asp?url=http://www.outlook.soton.ac.uk/exchange/&reason=0&replaceCurrent=1
Does that help at all ?
I think it is works based.

Thanks

Mike

you just need to view the header, or right click the email address to bring up the properties if using outlook

Plomien wrote on 17. Oct 2008 at 10:34:

you just need to view the header, or right click the email address to bring up the properties if using outlook

Thank you, I can bring up the properties ok but I am lost at what I am looking for after that.

Thanks

Mike

once you have the header, you can either use cmd to do a trace, or easier, download some software that will trace it.

It isn't always accurate, and if your boss is clever he could send the email from either place and it would trace back to the same place, or exchange server, which would tell you nothing.

mobile phone tracking is a much better way to pinpoint a location, but there are ethical arguments to this one.

Mantahatch wrote on 17. Oct 2008 at 10:28:

Hi All Is it possible to track/find out where an email originated from. I am having massive problems with my new boss not showing up for work, and his only communications are via email. So I am trying to find out if he is sending these emails from his office or his home PC. Thanks Mike P.S I have seen him once for 5 minutes in the last 3 weeks.  >:(

Hi. Hopefully you know how to use Google, so type in this 'email tracer' and make a selection. There are programs around [maybe costly though] and they will tell you what you want to know. There maybe someone else in OOF that has experience of these and can advise better. Good luck  :y

5 minutes in three weeks, sounds like the guy I work for!!  >:(

But it begs the question, why are you worried about where your boss is? Doesn't the fact that he/she isn't there makes working easier?

DaveyDavey wrote on 17. Oct 2008 at 11:26:

5 minutes in three weeks, sounds like the guy I work for!!  >:( But it begs the question, why are you worried about where your boss is? Doesn't the fact that he/she isn't there makes working easier?

Thanks All.
Unfortunatly not, my job is about 50% office based and 50%mechanial engineering and does involve heavy lifting/awkward handling of one off pieces of equipment, and he is supposed to help with the awkward and heavy items. So I end up struggling or taking twice as long to do a job, and it looks bad on me.
I have made my feelings none further up the ladder, but no one willing to listen. If I where to put my back out or injure myself and be off sick he would be there in an instant to "cover" for me, so he looks good upstairs.

Mike

It is possible to see in the full header information where the email was sent from but this may not help as if he is using a VPN client to access his work systems from home it will appear that they are coming from his office rather than his home. Modern systems are designed so that 'home workers' can be indistinguishable from Office workers which is great for saving on office costs but not so great if you want to find out exactly where someone is. Even phone systems can be set so that it connects over the network and your 'internal' phone number is actually ringing in a beach hut on Bournemouth seafront.

If its coming from a works based corporate email system, it may not be possible.  If its a cheap nasty ISP type one, then the headers give away all the info :)