A fake Claude Max giveaway uses the promise of a free AI upgrade to steal Google login credentials.
AI tools can save your business time. That makes a free upgrade an easy offer to notice, especially when it looks like it comes from a company you already know.
My advice: slow down before you sign in. A convincing offer can be the front door to your email account.
How the trap works
This week’s KnowBe4 warning describes a fake Claude Max giveaway. The page impersonates Anthropic, uses familiar branding and reviews, and adds a countdown to make the offer feel urgent. Claims about user milestones and limited free subscriptions are part of the pitch, not facts you should accept.
Click to claim the upgrade, and you reach what looks like a Google sign-in page. In the scam described, that page is fake too. Entering your credentials hands them to the attacker.
Why a business owner should care
A mailbox often holds client conversations, documents, vendor details, and password-reset messages. Access to it can give an attacker opportunities to impersonate you or target the people who trust you.
The free subscription is the bait. Your business relationships are what make the account valuable.
What I want your team to do
Check the offer independently. Open the service through a trusted bookmark or type its official address yourself. Look for the promotion there.
Check the actual address before signing in. A familiar logo and polished design do not establish who operates a page.
Ignore the countdown. An offer that pressures you to skip verification deserves extra scrutiny.
Make reporting easy. Give employees a clear way to ask IT about a suspicious offer before they act on it.
Already entered your password?
Tell your IT or security team immediately. Go directly to the real account provider to change the exposed password, and change it anywhere you reused it. Review recent security activity and unfamiliar devices. Your team should also check for unauthorized access and changes to email forwarding rules. Google’s compromised-account guide explains its recovery steps.
I want people using technology confidently. A short pause to verify an offer helps protect the work, information, and relationships behind the screen.
ORAM’s cybersecurity services help businesses protect their accounts and build practical security habits.
Need help making security practical for your team? Book a call with ORAM Cybersecurity Advisors.
Scam scenario source: KnowBe4, “Scam of the Week: Scamming to the Max,” received October 22, 2026. Commentary by Ryan O’Ramsay Barrett.