{
  "id": 139167,
  "title": "Metro Bank customer fights for £14,000 refund after AI-linked fraud",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/04/metro-bank-customer-fights-for-14-000-refund-after-ai-linked-fraud",
  "topic": "finance",
  "section": "Finance & Markets",
  "published": "2026-08-04T06:00:15.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Guardian Technology",
    "slug": "guardian-technology",
    "url": "https://www.theguardian.com/money/2026/aug/04/metro-bank-refund-ai-fraud"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Zoli Rutter, a businessman from Sussex, lost over £14,000 after fraudsters used the AI chatbot Claude to make unauthorized transactions from his Metro Bank account. The fraud involved criminals buying credits for Claude using Rutter's debit card details, allowing them to make multiple transactions between £90 and £200. Initially, Metro Bank froze Rutter's account after a suspicious transaction of £90.90, but by the time they fully blocked his card, more than £14,000 had been taken. Metro Bank apologized for the customer experience and offered Rutter £300 in compensation. Anthropic, the company behind Claude, refunded Rutter and stated that a coordinated gang used Rutter's card details to make fraudulent purchases. The user behind the fraud has been banned, and Anthropic encourages customers to contact their bank if they notice any unusual transactions.",
  "summary": "Lender was told money was being taken without authorisation, with cash used to buy credits for Claude chatbot A Metro Bank customer has told of his fight to get more than £14,000 back after its systems failed to stop a fraud involving the AI chatbot Claude. Zoli Rutter, a businessman from Sussex, had a total of £14,244 taken from his bank account. The scam involved fraudsters buying credits to…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}