How Claude Detects and Bans Accounts Using VPNs and Unsupported Passports

Anthropic has ramped up automated account bans for Claude users, blocking over 11 million accounts in the first half of 2026 alone. The system triggers KYC verification when an account accumulates too many fraud signals, including VPN usage and payments from shared virtual cards. Users presenting Russian passports during verification are automatically rejected because the KYC script checks the Issuing_Country field against supported regions and flags any unsupported code. Anthropic's Trust Score model evaluates device type, IP hygiene, account age, and payment patterns, with desktop clients scoring higher than browser sessions on Linux. Shared corporate cards and virtual cards from crypto exchanges lower the score significantly and can lead to mass bans across linked accounts. The company also updated its policies in 2025 to restrict entities more than 50 percent controlled by citizens of sanctioned countries. Official data shows only a 3.3 to 10.5 percent success rate for appeals, indicating the process is largely irreversible once triggered.

HabrTranslated from Russian

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Internet discussions have intensified after multiple reports emerged of Claude permanently banning users who submitted Russian passports during identity verification, even when the users resided in supported countries such as New Zealand or Georgia.

The original Reddit thread by developer nova4s described how a long-term resident on a valid work visa in New Zealand had his paid subscription charged, then received an identity confirmation request. After uploading a Russian foreign passport as the only available document, the account was banned without explanation or refund.

Similar cases were confirmed by users from Kazakhstan and Georgia who used local bank cards, phone numbers, and IP addresses yet were blocked after presenting Russian passports. One corporate user reported continued access through an enterprise subscription from a major Russian company.

Anthropic does not request documents at ordinary registration. A KYC request appears only after an account accumulates a critical mass of fraud signals and is placed in quarantine. The automated KYC script parses the MRZ zone, extracts the Issuing_Country code, and compares it against an internal list of supported regions. Any unsupported code such as RUS results in an immediate Fraud status.

The company publishes transparency statistics showing rapid growth in enforcement actions: approximately 690,000 accounts blocked in the first half of 2025, 1.45 million in the second half, and more than 11 million in the first half of 2026. Appeal success rates remain low, ranging from 3.3 percent to roughly 10.5 percent.

Anthropic’s Trust Score system assigns an initial baseline that changes with user behavior. Desktop and mobile official clients on Windows, macOS, or iOS raise the score, while browser sessions on Linux lower it. Use of third-party wrappers or non-standard plugins also reduces trust points.

Network hygiene factors include static residential IPs, avoidance of dynamic proxies, and clean records outside spam databases. Virtual cards issued by crypto exchanges or shared corporate cards used by multiple accounts trigger the rule against coordinated activity across profiles. New accounts that immediately purchase the Max tier are flagged as atypical behavior.

Older accounts created in 2023 retain higher baseline trust. Fresh Gmail addresses and public SMS-activator numbers are treated as signs of automated registration and receive lower initial scores.

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