How to Find Message Boards an IP Address Has Posted On

Internet predators often leave tracks with their IP address.

Message boards have become a useful way for people to get answers to their questions or simply make new friends. Unfortunately, not all the messages posted in message boards are friendly, and some Internet users will spread false information. Chances are high that false information won't be posted to a single message board; therefore, a thorough search is required to identify other message boards where the information was posted. This is completed by searching for the IP address of the person who posted it.

Things You'll Need

• Computer
• Internet access
• IP address that is to be traced

Instructions

1. Connect to the Internet. Open your Internet browser. This could be Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, Opera, Google Chrome or any other browser.

2. Open a new browser window and go to the Google home page (see Resources). Some browsers allow you to enter search terms directly in a search box without needing to open the search engine's home page. However, it is recommended to open it manually to avoid being sent to other advertiser's search pages.

3. Carefully write the IP address that you want to trace into the search engine window. Double check it and then add the extra search term "message," "forum" or "post." Don't add all of them at once.

4. Click "submit" and browse through the results looking for the results that originate from message boards or forums. If no results are displayed, click on the back button to return to the Google home page and try another search term. Repeat the process until you've tried all the search terms along with the IP address.

Tips & Warnings

• If the message board doesn't display the IP address of the poster, but the false information can be found, then the administrator of the board can be asked to provide the IP address of the poster. If he thinks the request is justified, he will provide the information. He also can provide other IP addresses from which the person posted information.

• The IP address also can be traced by using certain sites such as IP-Adress.com or Visualware (see Resources). The location of the poster, as well as his Internet Service Provider, will be listed. For more serious issues, this information will be required if police authorities become involved.

• The search will not provide any results if the message board that the IP address has posted on doesn't have an IP address display feature. This means that the IP address of the poster may or may not be shown next to each post.

• Always make sure that the correct IP address is written in the search box. If a single number is wrong, the results will not be correct.

References

• Website Tool Box: User's IP address
• Season Security: Get someones IP

Resources

• Google
• IP-Adress.com
• Visualware