Why does LeadMagic's email finder say valid when validation says unknown?
The LeadMagic help pages give 3 common reasons. The first to rule out: Some company domains sit behind email security gateways, and LeadMagic points to these when its email finder and a later validation disagree.
What causes it?
Some company domains sit behind email security gateways, and LeadMagic points to these when its email finder and a later validation disagree.
In the LeadMagic help:
Some company domains sit behind security gateways such as Proofpoint, Mimecast, Cisco IronPort, Barracuda
Finder vs Validation Mismatch: LeadMagic Help, read 2026-11-12.Checking the same address again seconds after it was found can give a different answer, especially when many checks reach the same protected mail servers.
In the LeadMagic help:
Re-validating seconds later can create conflicting outcomes, especially when many checks hit the same protected mail servers.
Finder vs Validation Mismatch: LeadMagic Help, read 2026-11-12.Protected domains can block address checks harder than they block ordinary mail, so a second check can come back unknown for an address that still receives mail.
In the LeadMagic help:
Protected domains often block verification probes more aggressively than normal mail delivery.
Finder vs Validation Mismatch: LeadMagic Help, read 2026-11-12.
How do I check it myself?
Before treating a second unknown as a bad address, compare it with real bounce results from your sending tool.
In the LeadMagic help:
An Email Validation unknown or secondary mismatch does not automatically mean the address will hard bounce in a real send.
Finder vs Validation Mismatch: LeadMagic Help, read 2026-11-12.Retry unknown results later rather than straight away, or set them aside as risky.
In the LeadMagic help:
Could not verify (temporary server issue or greylisting). Retry later or treat as risky
Validation Statuses: LeadMagic Help, read 2026-11-12.
How does LeadMagic work with Feder?
- Connect LeadMagic to Feder and it joins your Interest apps.
- When you connect LeadMagic, Feder checks the connection straight away and shows Connected only when that check passes. If a reading cannot be taken later, Feder shows it as not read, never as zero.
Some numbers are too quiet to judge daily, such as a form filled in a few times a week. Until there is enough of your own history to judge a change, Feder says it is still learning and scores nothing, rather than guessing.
See whether you can trust the numbers in LeadMagic, one of your Interest apps. Feder only reads. It never changes anything in LeadMagic.
What else goes wrong with these numbers?
- Why did LeadMagic find fewer emails than usual?LeadMagic
- Why are more of my LeadMagic emails coming back catch-all or unknown?LeadMagic
- Why did Google Analytics stop collecting data?Google Analytics
- Why aren't my key events showing in Google Analytics?Google Analytics
- Why does Google Analytics show (not set)?Google Analytics
See every question.
Where do these answers come from?
Every cause and check on this page comes from the LeadMagic help pages, quoted above with the date we read them. Last reviewed 2026-11-12. We read them again by 2027-11-12. If one changes, this page changes or comes down.