Your number is not an invitation. Namaskara is built that way.
Many women in India have the same story: a stranger gets your number from a group, a form or a shop, and the messages begin. Here is what Namaskara does about it today. Every screenshot below is from the app. We also say plainly what no app can promise.
A stranger can knock. They cannot walk in.
When someone you have never talked to writes to you, the message arrives as a message request, not in your chats. Until you accept them:
- They can send only three messages
- They cannot send links, photos or files, and cannot call you, by voice or video
- They see your number only partly, like
98xxxxx001. Your profile photo stays hidden - You get three clear buttons: Accept, Block, Report
You never have to reply to find out who it is, and they are never told that you read it.
"Pay or I will make your photos viral"
Sextortion is a script. Namaskara's checks run on your phone and recognise it in English, Hinglish and ten Indian languages. The message gets a clear warning with what to do: do not pay, keep the evidence, block, and report at cybercrime.gov.in or 1930.
Nothing about the message is sent to us to do this check. The rules are signed and work offline.
The same checks catch the fake "police", "digital arrest", job and KYC scripts that are often used to scare women into paying.
Quiet protections that work in the background
Built means it works in the app today.
No one can browse for you
You cannot search Namaskara by part of a number or by name to find strangers. Someone must already know your full number, exactly like SMS. Name search only covers people who have accepted you. Built
Groups don't leak your number
Joining a group does not hand your mobile number to every member. People you have not accepted see it partly hidden. Built
Your photo, only for your people
Your profile picture is end-to-end encrypted and shown only to people you have accepted or written to. When you send a photo, location and camera details are removed from it first. Built
Report = block, at once
Reporting blocks the person for you immediately. You can choose to attach the messages as evidence. When several different people report one account, it is restricted automatically. Built
Evidence is not erased
Disappearing-message timers only start after you accept someone. A stranger's first messages always stay, so a harasser cannot delete the proof. Built
Complaint drafted for you
Pick the messages, and the app prepares a complaint you can paste into cybercrime.gov.in or read out on 1930. Nothing is filed without you. Built
App lock for a shared phone
Add a PIN so that someone who picks up your unlocked phone still cannot open your chats. Built
No screenshots inside the app
On Android, Namaskara's screen cannot be captured by screenshots, screen recording or screen-sharing apps. Built
No SMS codes to steal
Sign-in never uses OTPs, so a swapped or borrowed SIM cannot open your account. Messages and calls are end-to-end encrypted. Even we cannot read them. Built
Codes and card numbers are never sent
Some threats end with "send me the OTP and I will stop". Namaskara will not send an OTP, PIN, card number or Aadhaar number from your phone. It tells you why in your language, so pressure cannot rush you into it.
What no app can promise
We would rather be honest than comforting:
- Someone you accepted can still misuse what you send them, or photograph their screen with another phone. Share private photos only when you are sure.
- The checks catch common scripts, not every threat. A message with no warning is not proof that it is safe.
- Namaskara is in a small, invite-only pilot. It does not replace the police, a helpline or the people you trust.
You are not alone, and it is not your fault.
Do not pay and do not negotiate. Keep the messages, block the person, and get help:
Report online
- cybercrime.gov.in has a section for crimes against women and children. You can report there anonymously
- Save the chat before you block: Namaskara keeps a stranger's first messages as evidence
- See every official channel on our Report fraud page
