Can emails be backdated? I recently had a situation come up that makes me question the validity of a certain email I was sent. Paul
Previously I'd have said not, because if mail is sent via an ISP or a web-based mail service, the date and time will usually be correct. However, if you are running a mail server, then you probably can backdate an email, perhaps by setting your PC's clock to an earlier date. Even then, an email will be forwarded by a number of other machines on its way to its destination, and these will add their own date and time.
I believe it is possible to insert fake Received: lines to try to hide when and where a message originated, but the real entries can't be faked, because they are not under the sender's control. If an email seems to have been backdated, check the "Received:" entries to see if it had a spurious start date or was delayed somewhere en route.
