Project Case Study
TheCatfish
A social safety platform for searching, reporting, and exposing online scammers — built with real-time chat, content moderation, and in-feed ads that users can publish directly.
Role
Lead Full-Stack Developer
Platform
Mobile App + Admin Panel + Backend API
Duration
Nov 2025 – Dec 2025
Budget
$1,100 – $1,800+
Status: Live on App Stores
Overview
What we built
TheCatfish is a social-style mobile application that helps users search and report online scammers. The platform supports posting scam reports, engagement features (likes, comments, shares, saves), followers/following, content moderation, native ads embedded in the feed, and real-time chat. I led the build of the Flutter mobile app, Next.js admin dashboard, and a Node.js backend with payment integrations via M-Pesa Daraja and Pesapal.
Client & Context
Bitwise Solutions
Type
Software Company
Industry
Social Platforms / Online Safety / Community
Location
Nairobi, Kenya
Team
Worked directly with the project manager and the client to plan, build, and deliver the system
Duration
Nov 2025 – Dec 2025
Budget Range
$1,100 – $1,800+
Engagement
Mobile + admin dashboard + backend implementation, integrations, and store release support
Gallery
Visual preview of the product
A quick look at key screens and flows. Click any image to view it larger.
The Challenge
What needed to be solved
Users lacked a reliable platform to search and verify suspected scammers before sending money or engaging online.
Scam reporting platforms often fail because they don’t support community engagement and visibility mechanics.
Trust and safety required moderation workflows to reduce spam, false accusations, and abusive content.
The platform needed monetization via ads and promotions without breaking the feed experience.
Real-time communication was required for user coordination and follow-ups on reports.
Goals
Success criteria
Launch a production-ready social platform focused on scam awareness and reporting.
Enable posting, engagement (likes/comments/shares/saves), and follow systems to drive community adoption.
Implement content moderation tools and workflows for trust and safety.
Add native ads embedded in the feed, including user-posted promos directly from the app.
Deliver real-time chat with reliable syncing and scalable data handling.
Integrate payments via M-Pesa (Daraja) and Pesapal for monetization flows.
Deep Dive
Explore the build details
Everything is organized into tabs so the page stays clean and easy to scan. Open what matters most to you.
Features
What users and admins can do.
Click tabs to switch
Scam Reporting & Social Feed
Create scam reports and public posts with structured details.
Feed experience with likes, comments, shares, and saves.
User profiles with posting history and engagement visibility.
Followers/following module to personalize discovery and community reach.
Trust, Safety & Moderation
Content moderation workflows for posts and user activity.
Reporting/flagging mechanisms to reduce spam and abusive content.
Admin-controlled actions for review, takedowns, and user management.
Real-Time Chat
One-to-one real-time messaging powered by Firebase Firestore.
Live message updates and smooth synchronization across sessions.
Chat experience integrated alongside REST-powered core modules.
Ads, Promotions & Payments
Native ads embedded directly into the feed for a seamless experience.
User-posted promotional ads created directly inside the mobile app.
Payment flows integrated via Daraja (M-Pesa) and Pesapal (card payments).
Admin & Operations
Next.js admin dashboard for moderation and platform oversight.
User management, post management, and operational tooling.
Ads/promotions management and support request handling.
Results & Impact
What changed after delivery
This section highlights the practical outcomes — what the client gained, what users could do better, and how the system became more usable, reliable, and ready for growth.
Delivered a production-ready ecosystem (mobile + admin + backend) for scam reporting and community engagement.
Enabled real-time user communication and scalable social interactions with moderation controls.
Implemented monetization via in-feed ads and user-posted promotions with M-Pesa and card payment support.
Client Feedback
“I worked with David on two company products, MyChurch and TheCatfish, with outstanding results. His work was professional and well executed, and I recommend him for development projects.”
Client
Bitwise Solutions • Bitwise Solutions
Let’s build something
Want a project like TheCatfish?
If you have an idea, a business problem, or you need a reliable developer to ship a production-ready mobile or web product — I can help. We’ll start with a quick consultation, define scope, and move fast with clear milestones.
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