A scam needs three things. We take all three away.
A way in (a stranger’s message), a hook (a link or an app) and a payoff (your OTP, card or account). Namaskara removes each one, mostly right on your phone.
Secrets are not sent. Full stop.
Before a message is encrypted, your phone checks it. If it looks like any of these, it is not sent, and you see why in your language:
- OTPs, PINs and CVVs
- Debit and credit card numbers (checked with the Luhn formula, so ordinary numbers pass)
- Aadhaar numbers (checked with the Verhoeff formula)
- Passwords and recovery codes
No bank, police officer or company will ever need these from you in a chat. So there is no "send anyway" button.
Strangers knock first
Someone you have never talked to arrives as a message request. They can send three messages and no links, photos, files or calls until you accept. Their number is partly hidden until then.
Received messages are checked on your phone too. Fake KYC, "digital arrest", parcel and customs, part-time job, lottery, QR-code "receive money", sextortion and investment-tip wording gets a clear warning right on the message.
Every protection, in one place
Built means it works in the app today. Designed means the plumbing is ready but it needs a partner or approval to go live.
Links never open by themselves
Links show as plain text. Tap to check: real bank addresses end in .bank.in, government in gov.in or nic.in. Shorteners, look-alike letters and raw IP addresses are flagged. Built
No APKs. For anyone.
"Download this app to update your KYC" is how phones get taken over. APK, EXE and similar files cannot be sent in Namaskara. Built
No fake "SBI Support"
Names containing bank, RBI, police, customer care and similar words cannot be registered. Verified accounts get a badge. Built
A stolen SIM opens nothing
No SMS codes anywhere. You sign in with a password and, optionally, an authenticator app. Five wrong tries locks the account for 15 minutes. Built
Screen-share fraud blocked
On Android, screen-sharing apps like AnyDesk see a black screen instead of Namaskara, so a fake "support agent" cannot read your codes. Built
Investment-fraud check
Payment requests to UPI IDs that are not SEBI-registered @valid handles are flagged when they look like investment offers. Built
Report = block. Three reports = restricted.
Reporting someone blocks them for you at once. When three different people report an account, it can only message people who already accepted it. Built
"Feels off", privately
A private reaction that opens a second look at the message. The sender is never told, so you can be cautious without being rude. Built
One verified person, one account
Optional identity check through DoT mobile-number validation or a UIDAI-registered partner. We never store your Aadhaar number. Designed
Call 1930. Do it in the first hour.
The national cyber-fraud helpline can ask banks to freeze money while it is still moving. The faster you call, the better the chance. Namaskara also has a built-in list of where to report, so you never have to search for it under stress.
What Namaskara will never do
- Ask for your OTP, PIN or password in a chat
- Send you an APK file or a link to "update" the app
- Call you to "verify" your account
- File a police complaint on your behalf without you
The honest limits
Rules are written by people, so a brand-new scam script may not be recognised yet. A missing warning means "unknown", never "safe". Only the English rules have been reviewed by a native speaker; the other ten languages are drafts we are improving with native speakers. A determined scammer on a modified app can skip the check on their side, which is why your phone checks incoming messages too.
For the technical design, see Security. For what we are building next and how we will measure it, see our Trust Charter and scoreboard.
