Is India's Arattai Chat App Really 'Swadeshi'?

October 25, 2025 • Estimated Reading Time: 7 minutes

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Hello,

Zoho’s Arattai’s US address might look like a small detail, but it carries big legal implications. Experts say that listing a US address creates a “juridical nexus” —a legal connection—to the United States. Read on!

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In Pune, an 85-year-old responded to a matrimonial ad and eventually ended up being persuaded to pay repeated “registration” fees, losing approximately ₹11.45 lakh. 

Modus operandi: Matrimonial scammers have been around for some time now, and their MO is to use the promise of marriage to build trust, create scenarios for the victim to feel safe and vulnerable, and then eventually trap them to extract money over weeks. 

What This Scam Looks Like 

  • Fake, flattering profiles: Scammers often pose as NRIs, officers, doctors or engineers with stolen photos and forged details. 

  • Long grooming: Friendly chats turn into emotional intimacy and then the promise of marriage. When the trust is solid, the scammer begins to make small money requests (“visa fees” for a trip, “customs”, “gifts” for important occasions, medical bills, courier/registration). 

  • Paper trail illusions: Forged pay slips, fake job letters, bogus travel docs and mule bank accounts to launder payments. 

Spot And Avoid Red Flags 

  • Red flag: Never meets on video/keeps postponing in-person meetings (always “abroad”, “busy”, “family pressure”). 
    What you should do: Insist on a video call to reveal identity. Disconnect if they refuse. 

  • Red flag: Profile looks too polished but has no real social footprint or mutual contacts. 
    What you should do: Check details independently; maybe LinkedIn, employer websites, and reverse-image searches will expose many fakes.

Read Titha Ghosh’s story to find more such tips.

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DECODE

An Indian Chat App, Arattai, Wants To Be Swadeshi But Its Address Isn’t

Recently, when a woman went to the Supreme Court asking for her blocked WhatsApp account to be restored, the judges had an unexpected suggestion: “Use Arattai”. The comment, made while dismissing her plea, may have been offhand, but it summed up a bigger mood. India’s push for “digital sovereignty” has created a wave of support for homegrown apps, with policymakers and tech voices calling for Indian alternatives to foreign platforms. 

Zoho’s Arattai—which means “chat” in Tamil—has quickly found itself at the centre of that wave. By early October, app downloads had crossed 7.5 million on Google Play and the App Store. 

This high-visibility has drawn attention not just to Arattai’s features or security claims, but to a curious detail: its developer listings on Google Play and Apple’s App Store point to a US address. 

Experts told Hera Rizwan that this could expose it to American laws and regulations, even if all operations remain in India. 

Got a suspicious email or text? Don't click—scan it!

ScamCheck: Fight Fraud with AI is here. Its AI scam analyser lets you paste text and get instant threat results. Plus, explore real-world case files and deep-dive investigations to become scam-proof.

Visit http://scamcheck.boomlive.in to get instant AI-powered analysis.

'FAKE NEWS’ YOU ALMOST FELL FOR

🔍  An archival video of Amitabh Bachchan with Rahul Gandhi at Delhi airport was shared on social media with the false claim that it shows the actor bringing the Congress leader back to India from the United States after the latter was released in a drug-related case. Read 🔗 Anmol Alphonso’s ↗️ fact-check.

🔍  A video of a man lighting firecrackers through a car's sunroof and subsequently setting off fireworks inside the car, was falsely shared as Diwali celebrations gone awry in Saharanpur, Uttar Pradesh. 🔗 Srijanee Chakraborty↗️ debunked the claim.

🔍  Is this photo of singer-turned-BJP candidate Maithili Thakur posing with Madhya Pradesh politician Manoharlal Dhakad legit? 🔗 Srijanee Chakraborty ↗️  tells you the truth.

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