Verify a leaked-looking chat or email screenshot in 5 stepsthe claim and source, a pause, the original and the people involved, clues, and a dated record

Why this course, in November 2026

Search suggestions checked on 13 November 2026 return full lists for “fake email screenshot” (including “fake email screenshot maker”, “fake email screenshot template” and “fake email conversation screenshot”), for “fake text message generator” (including iPhone, WhatsApp, iMessage and group-chat variants) and for “how to tell if a text message screenshot is fake”. Suggestion lists show what people type, not how many type it, and we have not measured volumes beyond that. They do tell us that making and checking message screenshots is something people search for. None of this says that a screenshot can be settled by looking at it.

This is the seventh course in the series. The first, Spot AI fakes in 5 short lessons, is a general introduction. The second, Verify a viral video in 5 steps, is a workflow for any single clip. The third, Check a suspicious voice message in 5 steps, covers voice messages and calls. The fourth, Verify a screenshot or fake document in 5 steps, is the general screenshot and document course. The fifth, Verify an AI-generated photo of an event in 5 steps, covers event photos, and the sixth, Verify a viral news clip in 5 steps, covers clips dressed as news. This one is narrower than the fourth: a chat or email screenshot said to be leaked, where the key move is getting to the original message and the people involved. An eighth course, Verify a fake product review or testimonial in 5 steps, covers product reviews and testimonials. A ninth course, Verify an AI-generated receipt or invoice in 5 steps, covers AI-generated receipts and invoices, and a tenth, Check a suspicious profile photo or dating profile in 5 steps, covers suspicious profile photos and dating profiles. An eleventh course, Verify an AI-edited rental or property listing photo in 5 steps, covers rental and property listing photos, and a twelfth, Check a suspicious celebrity or expert video ad in 5 steps, covers celebrity and expert video ads. A thirteenth course, Check a photo, video or audio file offered as evidence in 5 steps, covers photo, video or audio files offered as evidence, and a fourteenth, Check a suspicious video call or remote job interview in 5 steps, covers suspicious video calls and remote job interviews. A fifteenth, Check a suspicious website or login page in 5 steps, covers suspicious websites and login pages, and a sixteenth, Check a map or satellite image that may be AI-made or edited in 5 steps, covers maps and satellite images that may be AI-made or edited. All sixteen sit under the public guide to protecting yourself from AI forgeries.

If a message is yours and may matter later

If a conversation or email could become part of a dispute, a dated record of the exact files you keep helps:

1. Keep the original in its app and export it where the app allows. For an email, save the original message with its headers, not only a screenshot. Add notes on when and where you saw it.
2. Make a TimeBind of the export or screenshot file. The fingerprint is made in your browser and the file stays on your device. You can later download a Proof of Time Certificate.
3. Store the file, the certificate and your notes together. Use the file date and metadata inspector or the file-changed answer to compare a copy later.

First Pooled TimeBind free, no card, then from US$5. An ASAP TimeBind is US$15. A TimeBind does not show that a message was really sent or that a screenshot is unedited.

What a TimeBind shows, and what it does not. It shows that an exact file existed no later than a recorded time and that a copy shown later still matches its fingerprint. It does not show who made the file, who owns it, that its contents are true, or whether AI was used to make or edit it. This is general information, not legal advice.