Anthropic impersonation scam abuses Claude branding

MailGuard has intercepted a new phishing campaign impersonating Anthropic, PBC, using Claude branding and a fake subscription payment issue to trick recipients into handing over credit card details.

The email is designed to create urgency by claiming the recipient’s subscription access has been paused following an unsuccessful payment. It then pushes the user to take immediate action by clicking through to update billing information.

While the scam appears simple on the surface, it follows a now-familiar pattern used by cybercriminals, leveraging a trusted brand, a plausible payment problem, and a sense of interruption to prompt fast action before the recipient has time to think critically.

The phishing email

The email arrives using the display name Anthropic, PBC and claims that access to Claude’s paid features has been paused because a recent payment was unsuccessful.

Recipients are encouraged to click a button labelled “Go to billing settings” to restore access.

However, the sender details do not align with the legitimate organisation:

• Display name: Anthropic, PBC
• Display address: info@email(dot)bauernstubn(dot)at
• Sending address: info(at)email(dot)bauernstubn(dot)at

This mismatch is a strong warning sign. Although the email is presented as though it comes from Anthropic, it is being sent from an unrelated domain.

The fake payment page

Clicking the link in the email takes the user to a payment page designed to resemble a Claude subscription checkout screen.

The page presents a Claude Pro plan and asks the user to submit:

• Full name
• Card number
• Expiration date
• Security code

The design is relatively clean and believable, which is often enough to catch users off guard, especially if they are already using AI tools in their daily work and expect to receive service-related notifications.

This is the core objective of the attack, harvesting financial information through a fake billing workflow.

The error page

The next page does not load successfully and instead returns a 404 Not Found error.

Based on the URL structure, it appears the attacker may have intended this to function as a waiting or intermediate step in the phishing flow. Even though the scam sequence did not fully load in this case, the payment page alone is enough to put victims at risk if they provide their card details.

This also highlights an important point for businesses, phishing infrastructure does not need to be polished or complete to be dangerous. A scam only needs to work once.

Why this scam matters

This campaign reflects a broader shift in phishing activity. Attackers are increasingly impersonating well-known software, SaaS, and AI providers, particularly those used by professionals, technical teams, and knowledge workers.

That makes scams like this especially relevant for business audiences.

A fake invoice, billing alert, or subscription pause notice can feel routine. It fits neatly into the kind of administrative messages that many staff members process every day. And because AI platforms like Claude are now being used across businesses for writing, research, coding, analysis, and productivity, branding abuse of this kind is likely to become more common.

For organisations, the risk is not just the exposure of a single payment card. These campaigns can also:

• Undermine trust in legitimate business tools
• Create financial and operational disruption
• Act as a precursor to broader credential theft or follow-on phishing
• Target employees already working quickly under pressure

What to watch out for

This scam includes several clear warning signs:

• The sender address does not belong to Anthropic
• The email creates urgency around suspended access
• The payment page is hosted outside the legitimate Claude or Anthropic environment
• The workflow appears incomplete, inconsistent, or broken

These details matter. Sophisticated phishing does not always mean technically advanced. Often it simply means credible enough to prompt action.

Stay Safe, Know the Signs

MailGuard advises all recipients of these emails to delete them immediately without clicking on any links. Responding or providing personal details can lead to identity theft, data breaches, and financial losses.

Avoid emails that:

• Aren’t addressed to you personally.
• Are unexpected and urge immediate action.
• Contain poor grammar or miss crucial identifying details.
• Direct you to a suspicious URL that isn’t associated with the genuine company.

Many businesses turn to MailGuard after a near miss or incident. Don't wait until it's too late. Reach out to our team for a confidential discussion by emailing expert@mailguard.com.au or calling 1300 30 44 30.

One Email Is All That It Takes   

All that it takes to devastate your business is a cleverly worded email message that can steal sensitive user credentials or disrupt your business operations. If scammers can trick one person in your company into clicking on a malicious link or attachment, they can gain access to your data or inflict damage on your business.     

For a few dollars per staff member per month, you can protect your business with MailGuard's specialist AI-powered, zero-day email security. Special Ops for when speed matters!  Our real-time zero-day, email threat detection amplifies our client’s intelligence, knowledge, security and defence. Talk to a solution consultant at MailGuard today about securing your company's inboxes.  

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