COMMUNITY PROTECTIONVerified StandardsLast Updated: August 2, 2026

Safety & Community Guidelines.

SideWinn is built on trust, transparency, and authentic rewards. These guidelines outline our security standards, scam protections, reporting tools, and community conduct rules to keep SideWinn safe for all earners.

1. Community Safety Vision

SideWinn was created to eliminate the spam, fake promises, and shady schemes that plague online referral and side-gig communities. Our mission is to provide a clean, verified space where students, freelancers, and side-earners in India can discover legitimate opportunities, share authentic referral links, and earn verified rewards.

Verified Deals

Every offer checked for active terms & valid links.

Zero Upfront Fees

No opportunity ever requires paying money to join.

Bot-Free Platform

E.164 phone uniqueness & anti-sybil checks enforced.

2. Safe Referral Link Standards

SideWinn allows community members to share referral URLs to help others discover deals while earning point bonuses (+10 pts for uploading a link, +2 pts for verified referrals). To maintain platform integrity, all submitted referral links must meet our strict safety checklist:

  • Legitimate Brand Programs: Links must originate from recognized apps or merchants (e.g. Swiggy, Zomato, GitHub, Google Play, Amazon Pay, Anthropic, etc.).
  • Direct & Clean URLs: Links must lead directly to the official merchant landing page or app store listing without intermediate malware redirects or tracking cloakers.
  • No Upfront Payments Required: Offers that require candidates to pay a "registration fee", "security deposit", or buy unverified software packages are strictly banned.
  • Active Reward Status: Uploaded referral codes must be active and tested to ensure community members actually receive promised rewards.

3. Scam Awareness & Anti-Phishing Guide

Protecting yourself online requires vigilance. Be aware of common red flags when exploring side-income opportunities:

Red Flag 1: Requests for Money

If any listing or external site asks you to pay money to receive a job, unlock rewards, or process a payout, STOP IMMEDIATELY. Real opportunities pay you — you never pay them.

Red Flag 2: Requests for Sensitive Credentials

Never share your SideWinn password, bank account OTPs, UPI PINs, or private cryptocurrency seed phrases. SideWinn staff will NEVER ask for your password or PINs under any circumstances.

Red Flag 3: Unrealistic Income Claims

Be cautious of third-party sites claiming "Earn ₹50,000 in 1 hour without work." Genuine side-gigs and referral rewards yield realistic payouts proportional to effort.

4. In-App Reporting & Moderation Workflow

Community reporting is our first line of defense. If you encounter a suspicious, expired, or broken opportunity listing:

  1. Click the Flag Icon: Located on every opportunity card and detail sheet.
  2. Select Reason: Choose from options including Incorrect information, Expired deal, Scam or fee required, or Phishing or malware.
  3. Submit Report: The report is processed via the create_opportunity_report stored procedure and added to the admin review queue (adminReports).
  4. Admin Action: Admin moderators review reported items, pause broken listings (adminPauseOpportunity), or update report status using adminUpdateReportStatus.

5. Account & Phone Security

SideWinn employs strict account safeguards to protect your wallet and point rewards:

  • E.164 Phone Normalization: All user accounts are bound to a verified E.164 phone number. This prevents multi-account creation and unauthorized account takeover.
  • Supabase PKCE Authentication: Sessions are secured using Proof Key for Code Exchange (PKCE) authentication flows with encrypted token storage.
  • Session Timeout & Re-Auth: Sensitive actions (such as permanent account deletion or updating bank payout VPAs) require active session re-authentication.

6. Zero-Tolerance Conduct Rules

Strictly Enforced Rules

SideWinn will immediately suspend accounts engaging in any of the following prohibited behaviors:

  • Fake Completion Proofs: Submitting edited screenshots, altered receipts, or stolen verification files.
  • Automated Bots & Scripts: Using automated crawlers, headless browsers, or script injection.
  • Multi-Accounting & Sybil Farming: Creating multiple accounts to farm point rewards or referral bonuses.
  • Deceptive Redirects: Uploading referral links that redirect to unauthorized schemes or malware.
  • Harassment & Spam: Spamming community boards or abusing reporting features.

7. Responsible Vulnerability Disclosure

SideWinn welcomes contributions from security researchers and ethical hackers. If you discover a vulnerability in our application or API endpoints:

Security Reporting Channel
Subject: [SECURITY DISCLOSURE] Vulnerability Report
Guideline: Please provide detailed reproduction steps and refrain from public disclosure prior to remediation.

Community Safety FAQs

Q1. Does SideWinn ever charge users money to claim an opportunity or withdraw earnings?

No. SideWinn is 100% free for earners. We will NEVER ask you to pay money, transfer funds, or deposit cash to claim an opportunity, unlock points, or receive payouts. Any request for upfront payment is a scam.

Q2. What should I do if I find a broken or misleading referral link?

Click the "Report" button on the opportunity card or detail page. Select "Incorrect information" or "Phishing or malware", add a brief description, and submit. Our moderation engine processes reports via the create_opportunity_report stored procedure.

Q3. How does SideWinn detect fake completion proof submissions?

Our verification workflow uses image analysis, duplicate detection, and manual admin review via approve_proof and reject_proof_permanently functions. Submitting edited or stolen screenshots leads to immediate account penalties.

Q4. How can I report a security vulnerability on SideWinn?

We welcome responsible disclosure from security researchers. Please email detailed steps to support@sidewinn.live before public disclosure. We review vulnerability reports within 24 hours.