David Dugan (a fake name) loved using the chatbot "Claude." He could ask it medical questions and organize family life. His $20 monthly subscription seemed like a good deal.
But his wife saw two $200 charges on their credit card. These were for gift cards to use with the AI tool.
Dugan, from the US East Coast, had not bought these cards. He knew something was wrong. This is according to a report by The Guardian newspaper, seen by "Arabian Business.".
Dugan said his wife asked, "Did you spend $200?" The total was $400. Then there was a third charge, but it needed a check and did not go through.
He contacted Anthropic, the company behind "Claude." His account was paused. But the automatic replies did not explain what happened.
Dugan searched online for other victims. He found many "Claude" users had similar problems. They shared their stories on a "Reddit" forum.
One person said 10 payments of £18 were taken from their account. Another user was charged €216 three times. Two people also said $225 was suddenly taken from them.
Dugan worried more because the gift card emails went to his personal inbox. He feared his email was hacked too. He thought scammers got the gift cards. This could lead to more fraud.
After the scam, Dugan changed his credit card details online. This stopped two more payments. He is now talking to his bank to get his money back.
How Do These Scams Look?
The bank statement charges appear as "Anthropic." A Reddit user shared an email saying, "You received a gift!" It said a "Claude" subscription was sent to them. There was a link to get the gift.
Anthropic says it is adding new safety steps. These will stop fake gift card purchases. If suspicious activity is found, linked subscriptions are canceled. Money paid is returned.
If you see a payment you do not know, contact support. The company says it will return any fees not already refunded.
The company also suggests canceling the affected bank card. Get a new card. Also, change your login details on the site.
However, the company states there is no proof that hacked card details came from Anthropic. This means the data did not leak from inside their company.
If you notice an unknown payment, contact your bank or card issuer. Ask for a refund. It is important to report any suspected scam right away. This helps the bank stop the card and secure the account. The bank might ask for details or a form about what happened.