AI Chatbot Scam Alert: The ‘Gift Card’ Subscription That Could Cost You Big!

David Duggan* found the Claude chatbot extremely useful for addressing health-related queries and managing household tasks, making the $20 monthly fee seem reasonable.

However, his wife discovered two mysterious $200 charges on their credit card statement, attributed to gift cards for the AI service.

Residing on the US east coast, Duggan knew he hadn’t made these purchases and immediately sensed foul play.

“My wife questioned me about the $200 transactions, totaling $400. Then, a third attempt was made, but it required verification and was blocked,” he recounted.

Upon reaching out to Anthropic, the creators behind the Claude AI services, his account was put on hold. Unfortunately, the automated replies provided no clarity on the breach.

He then turned to the internet to find others with similar issues and discovered several Claude users on Reddit sharing comparable experiences.

One individual reported ten unauthorized transactions of £18 each. Another user faced three wrongful charges of €216 (£186) each, and two others were each wrongly charged €225.

Adding to Duggan’s worries was the fact that the actual gift cards were being sent to his personal email. This raised concerns about a potential email breach, giving scammers access to the vouchers and opening the door to further fraudulent activities.

Following the fraud, Duggan updated his credit card information online, which prevented two additional attempts to charge his account. He is now collaborating with his bank to recover the stolen funds.

Identifying the Fraud

The fraudulent transactions were listed on bank statements as payments to Anthropic. One Reddit user received an email celebrating a “gift” received, which included a subscription to Claude with a link to activate the gift.

Steps to Counteract the Fraud

Anthropic is implementing additional safeguards to curtail scams involving gift card purchases. The company assures that it cancels subscriptions identified as fraudulent and issues refunds.

If you encounter an unrecognized payment, it’s crucial to contact customer support. The company commits to refunding any charges not already reversed and recommends cancelling the compromised bank card and changing account passwords.

Nevertheless, Anthropic maintains that there was no evidence of security breaches originating from their systems.

Should you notice an unauthorized payment, immediately contact your bank or credit card provider to initiate a chargeback. Prompt reporting is vital for your bank to secure your account by blocking your card and possibly requiring you to complete a fraud declaration form.

* Name has been changed