Now that we are in the computer age, I will tell you about a little known website. It is called google.com. I know this must sound strange to you, as it is a brand new site. It has something called a search engine, where you type in some words, and it returns links related to those words.
In this case, when you go to this site google.com, and type in "nerdshack", you will see that indeed, it is a legitmate email service.
Do you have any more questions about the computer age?
From http://www.applelinks.com/p5/index.php/more/moores_omnibus_guide_to_free_pop3_em ail_services_2005_edition/
"A nerdshack.com e-mail account comes with a pledge to protect your privacy, and respect your time. nerdshack.com will not surrender your e-mail address to anyone, and will actively attempt to keep spam out of your inbox. The Nerdshack promises never to scan your email, or allow anyone to access it without a court order."
You want constructive feedback? Why are you asking questions about every single detail regarding emailing? Are you so paranoid that you don't trust any of the women that you are emailing? If so, then this is perhaps the wrong approach for you.
Find a reputable agency (there are some good ones) and use them for correspondence and meetings. Or take a tour with socials so that you can meet the girls in person.
VNV...Actually, I do just fine emailing. I never thought much about any of this detailed email info until I started reading threads on here and began to wonder. Knowledge is power, and the only dumb question is the one you don't ask. It's not paranoia, it's just wanting to learn what the tech stuff means.
When all else fails, or maybe before if you feel the hair on your neck tingling, goto http://ip-adress.com/ and check out the IP address of the e-mail sender and see if it jives with where they say they are located.
If they say they are in Kiev and Ip address is in India I would run, not walk away.