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Metro Bank customer fights for £14,000 refund after AI-linked fraud
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- DeepHorus
A Sussex businessman is fighting to recover £14,244 after Metro Bank failed to block fraudulent transactions linked to the AI chatbot Claude. Zoli Rutter had been using Claude for business invoice tracking when fraudsters used his stored card details to buy credits on the platform. The case highlights growing concerns about AI-related payment fraud.
Rutter had been paying £15 a month for a few months before the scam. On 19 June, Metro Bank flagged a suspicious £90.90 transaction and texted him to confirm. He replied "no," but only that transaction was blocked; his account remained active. Over the following day, criminals made multiple payments between £90 and £200, totalling more than £14,000.
Metro Bank eventually froze the card, but a spokesperson said the "complex nature" of the fraud meant some payments were processed. The bank blamed a third party, noting Rutter had previously made legitimate payments to Anthropic and provided card details. After Guardian Money intervened, Metro Bank temporarily refunded Rutter while seeking a chargeback from Anthropic.
Anthropic said a coordinated gang used Rutter's cards to buy Claude credits, but found no evidence its systems were compromised. The fraudulent user was banned. Anthropic encourages affected customers to contact support for refunds. Rutter has now been refunded by Anthropic, and Metro Bank plans to retract its temporary refund.
The incident follows recent scrutiny of Claude. In May, a US user reported unauthorised gift-card purchases, and similar stories appeared on Reddit. This week, some private conversations with Claude were found publicly accessible. Yet the FCA recently endorsed Anthropic's AI tool for a fintech initiative.
Metro Bank offered Rutter £300 compensation and said it has taken steps to prevent delays in blocking cards. Rutter intends to complain to the Financial Ombudsman Service. Experts advise anyone affected by unauthorised card fraud to contact their bank immediately and request a refund.
