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Anthropic Refunds Claude AI Users Charged for Fraudulent Gift Cards
David Duggan, a U.S. resident, discovered two unauthorized $200 payments on his credit card for Claude AI gift cards after subscribing to the service. Similar fraud reports have surfaced on Reddit from users in the U.K. and Europe. Anthropic is implementing protections and issuing refunds for identified scam purchases.
May 3, 2:00 AM·2m read2 sources
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David Duggan subscribed to the Claude chatbot for $20 a month after finding it useful for answering medical questions and organizing family life. The subscription, equivalent to £15, appeared worthwhile to him. But his wife soon spotted two $200 payments on his credit card bill for gift cards to use the artificial intelligence tool.
The two $200 payments totaled $400, and Duggan had not made the purchases. A third $200 payment required confirmation and did not go through. Duggan contacted Anthropic, the company behind the Claude family of AI tools.
Anthropic suspended his account following the contact. The computer-generated responses to his questions provided no clarity on what had happened. Searching online, Duggan found that a number of Claude users had similar experiences detailed on Reddit.
One Reddit user reported 10 payments each for £18 taken from his account. Another reported being charged €216 three times, equivalent to £186.
' with a subscription to Claude and a link to redeem it. Payments for Claude subscriptions show up on bank statements as going to Anthropic. Adding to Duggan's concern, genuine vouchers for Claude were sent to his personal email.
This led him to worry that his email had also been hacked, exposing him to more scams. After the fraud, Duggan changed his credit card details online, which prevented two more payments from being processed on his account. Duggan is now working with his bank to get his money back.
Anthropic is putting new protections in place to prevent fraudulent gift card purchases. The company cancels subscriptions and issues refunds when it identifies scam purchases. Anthropic promises to refund any charges that have not already been reversed.
