Chinese grey market sells Claude API access at 90% off by using stolen credentials, model substitution, and harvesting users' prompts and outputs for resale as AI training data — 'transfer stations' operate through proxy networks that harvest user data

A grey-market economy in China is selling access to Anthropic's Claude models at a steep discount by using stolen credentials, model substitution, and harvesting users' data for resale as AI training data. These proxy networks, known as "transfer stations," operate openly on platforms like GitHub and Taobao. The findings support recent warnings from the White House and Anthropic about Chinese entities running large-scale campaigns against U.S. frontier models. The supply chain involves various participants handling different links, with some accounts entering the pool at zero cost through stolen credit card details. Despite stricter verification measures by Anthropic, the evasion market for unauthorized access continues to thrive.