What's Happening
In rare cases, a credential may show an Email opened status even though the recipient has not yet seen the email.
In even rarer cases, it may also show Credential opened before the recipient has visited their credential.
This can happen when a corporate email security system scans an incoming message before deciding whether to place it in the recipient’s inbox. Most emails that go through these checks are delivered normally. Only in exceptional cases may the security system quarantine or block the message.
Here’s how the process works.
1. The Email Is Checked Before Delivery
Certifier sends the credential email to the recipient’s email server using Amazon SES.
Before placing the message in the recipient’s inbox, some corporate email systems inspect it for spam, phishing, malware, and other security risks.
As part of this inspection, the security system may load the email’s content. This can trigger the Email opened status, even though the recipient has not personally opened the message.
👉 This behavior is uncommon and is mostly associated with corporate environments that use stricter email-security settings.
2. Some Security Systems Also Check the Links
In even rarer cases, a stricter security system may follow the links inside the email to confirm that they lead to safe pages.
If the system follows the link to the recipient’s credential, Certifier may register a Credential opened status, even though the recipient has not personally visited their Digital Wallet.
👉 This requires a more extensive security scan, so it occurs less frequently than an automated email open.
3. The Email Is Usually Delivered Normally
After completing its checks, the security system usually determines that the message and its links are safe and delivers the email to the recipient’s inbox.
This means an automated Email opened or Credential opened status does not indicate that something went wrong with delivery. In most cases, the email will still reach the recipient normally.
These statuses should be treated as engagement signals, but not as definitive proof that the recipient personally opened the email or credential.
4. In Exceptional Cases, the Email May Be Blocked
In exceptionally rare cases, the security system may scan the email (and therefore trigger an opened status) but then decide to quarantine or block the message.
For example, this can happen when the receiving system cannot properly authenticate the sending domain or applies an unusually restrictive security policy.
As a result, Certifier may show Email opened, or even Credential opened, while the recipient cannot find the message in their inbox.
What to Do If the Recipient Cannot Find the Email
Check In With Your Recipient
First, ask the recipient to:
Check their spam, junk, and promotions folders.
Search their entire mailbox for your sender address or “Certifier.”
Check their blocked senders list.
Ask their IT team whether the message was quarantined by their corporate email-security system.
💡 Tip: You can also check the credential’s Engagement tab in Certifier. Actions such as downloading the credential, adding it to LinkedIn, sharing it, or copying its link are stronger indicators that the recipient personally accessed it.
Check Your Sender Domain Configuration
If you use a custom sender address, make sure the DNS records provided by Certifier are configured for your sending domain.
This helps receiving email systems authenticate messages sent through Certifier and reduces the likelihood of them being rejected, quarantined, or marked as spam, particularly when the domain uses a strict DMARC policy.
Follow the instructions in How to Fix “Strict DMARC Policy” Email Delivery Issues to add and verify the required records.
Resend Delivery Email
Once you confirm the details with the recipient and/or finish configuring and verifying the records, resend the credential from the All Credentials tab.
💡 Tip: Resending a credential doesn't count toward your issuing limit, so you can do it as many times as needed.
Need more help?
If the email is still being blocked, contact us through the chat icon or at [email protected].
If possible, include the recipient’s email address and any rejection or quarantine information provided by their IT team. We’ll help you determine whether the issue is related to your domain configuration or the recipient’s security system.