Unauthorized Gift‑Card Charges Hit Claude AI Users
Users of the Claude AI chatbot report unauthorized gift‑card charges totaling hundreds of dollars; Anthropic responds with new safeguards and refund promises.
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Claude AI users report unauthorized gift‑card charges totaling hundreds of dollars, prompting Anthropic to roll out new fraud safeguards.
Context
Claude is a conversational AI offered by Anthropic through a monthly subscription that costs about $20 (£15). Users sign up to get help with tasks such as answering questions or organizing schedules. The service links to a payment method, and gift‑card codes can be purchased within the platform to extend access.
Key Facts
Duggan said his wife noticed two $200 charges on his card for Claude gift cards, totaling $400, while a third attempt was blocked. He had not authorized any of those purchases.
On Reddit, another user reported ten separate £18 payments for Claude gift cards appearing on their statement. Additional posts described similar patterns of repeated small‑value charges.
Anthropic announced new protections that detect fraudulent gift‑card purchases, cancel the offending subscriptions and issue refunds to affected accounts.
What It Means
The unauthorized charges appear as payments to Anthropic on bank statements, often accompanied by an email that claims a gift has been sent and includes a link to redeem it. Users who spot unfamiliar charges should contact their bank for a chargeback and also notify Anthropic support.
Anthropic advises changing the compromised card, updating login details, and monitoring the account for further activity. The company says there is no evidence that card data originated from its systems, but it is improving detection to stop future scams.
Users should watch for Anthropic’s rollout of the new safeguards and any further reports of gift‑card fraud on forums.
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