A OnePoll.com survey revealed that as much as 70% of Brits admit to having sent an email to the wrong recipient. Notably, most of the mistakes occurred while sending messages through text, followed by desktop and smartphone email. Sending an email to the wrong person can be downright embarrassing, but it can also be potentially risky. Those who commit the mistake can be reprimanded, fired from their jobs, or worse, cause a security breach. Sometimes, a simple apology and a request to ignore the email is enough. Other times, it can have dire consequences. Show For instance, a lawyer from PepsiCo inadvertently sent a confidential email to a Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reporter regarding the company’s SEC investigation. The WSJ reporter claimed to have deleted the email, yet still wrote an article about it. Email messages sent to the wrong address can also pose security issues that can compromise the integrity of their companies. Cybercriminals get hold of sensitive information within these emails to target the sender or his organization. Thankfully, there are ways to retrieve emails sent to the wrong address. Ways to Retrieve an Email Sent to the Wrong AddressUsing the Message Recall Feature of Outlook Exchange Server If the email was sent via Outlook, the service’s Message Recall function could easily retrieve it.
Note, however, that the Message Recall feature can only be applied to emails that have already been sent. The action automatically moves all unopened copies of the recalled email to the recipients’ Deleted folder. In cases where a recipient immediately opens the email, the action won’t work. That recipient sees a notification that the sender is trying to recall the message. Do note, too, that this function is only available in Outlook Exchange Server. If performed on a desktop-based Outlook application, though the option is available, it would not delete the incorrectly sent email from the recipient’s inbox. Enabling the Undo Send Feature of Gmail For Gmail users, you can retrieve an email sent to the wrong address with the Undo Send function.
Once this is set, users should see the Undo option in the Sent Email notification bar. Note, however, that the cancellation window is short. It is also crucial to know that this feature does not recall a sent message; it only delays sending any message. Email Security Technology Using an email security solution such as SafeSend makes it easier for users to verify message recipients before sending it. It resolves issues related to accidentally sending misaddressed emails. SafeSend’s Confirm External Recipients feature, for instance, allows users to double-check the addresses of external email recipients so they won’t need to retrieve wrongly sent emails. SafeSend also has a Trigger Encryption feature that automatically scans emails and attachments for personally identifiable information (PII). This function prevents confidential data from leaking out. With its Custom Safe Domains/Emails feature, IT administrators can also predefine authorized recipients of specific emails. As such, senders are prompted when they attempt to send messages to domains or email addresses which are not on the approved list. The features described above are only some of the ways SafeSend helps users avoid the need to retrieve emails sent to the wrong address. If you want more detailed information about our product and its features, connect with us through https://safesendsoftware.com/contact and allow our in-house security experts to help you with your specific needs. With message recall, a message that you sent is retrieved from the mailboxes of the recipients who haven’t yet opened it. You can also substitute a replacement message. For example, if you forgot to include an attachment, you can try to retract the message, and then send a replacement message that has the attachment. Message recall is available after you click Send and is available only if both you and the recipient have a Microsoft 365 or Microsoft Exchange email account in the same organization. So, for example, a message sent to or from a Hotmail, Gmail, or live.com account can't be recalled. In the folder pane on the left of the Outlook window, choose the Sent Items folder. Open the message that you want to recall. You must double-click to open the message. Selecting the message so it appears in the reading pane won't allow you to recall the message. If you have the Classic Ribbon, from the Message tab, select Actions > Recall This Message. If you have the Simplified Ribbon, select the Message tab and then select More commands
(...). Point to Actions and select Recall This Message. Notes:
Click Delete unread copies of this message or Delete unread copies and replace with a new message, and then click OK.
If you’re sending a replacement message, compose the message, and then click Send. To check on the recallThe success or failure of a message recall depends on the recipients' settings in Outlook. In the following table, five scenarios are presented:
Important: Office 2007 is no longer supported. Upgrade to Microsoft 365 to work anywhere from any device and continue to receive support. Upgrade now To recall and replace a message
If you do not see the Recall This Message command, then probably you do not have an Exchange Server account or you are not using Microsoft Office Outlook 2007. Both are required to use the recall feature. You can check the Account Settings dialog box in Outlook for the types of e-mail accounts in your Outlook profile.
To check on the recallThe success or failure of a recall depends on the recipients' settings in Microsoft Outlook. The following four scenarios explain what happens in various situations, and an additional scenario describes the recall of a message sent to a Microsoft Exchange public folder.
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