Unauthorized Anthropic stock sales and investment scams

Originally published: February 11, 2026We are sharing important information about investments in Anthropic to help protect individuals from potentially invalid transfers or investment fraud.Transfer restrictionsBoth our preferred stock and common stock are subject to transfer restrictions contained in our bylaws. Any sale or transfer of Anthropic stock, or any interest in Anthropic stock, that has not been approved by our Board of Directors is void and will not be recognized on our books and records. This means that if someone purports to sell Anthropic shares without proper board approval, that transaction is invalid. The purported buyer would not be recognized as a stockholder of Anthropic and you would have no stockholder rights.SPVs and retail investment fundsWe do not permit special purpose vehicles (SPVs) to acquire Anthropic stock and any transfer of shares to an SPV are void under our transfer restrictions. Offers to invest in Anthropic’s past or future financing rounds through an SPV are prohibited.We are also aware of investment funds that claim to offer indirect access to Anthropic stock. These funds often market themselves by saying something like: "You can't invest in Anthropic directly, but invest with us and we'll get access for you." These funds are most likely relying on mechanisms that attempt to circumvent our transfer restrictions. Any third party claiming to sell Anthropic shares to the general public—whether through direct sales, "forward contracts," tokenized securities, or other mechanisms—is likely either engaged in fraud or offering an investment that may have no value due to our transfer restrictions.Invest at your own risk: if someone offers you a way to participate, even on an indirect basis, in an investment in Anthropic, assume that it is invalid.Be especially cautious if someone:Beware of stock scamsScammers regularly attempt to carry out fraudulent investment schemes falsely claiming to provide access to prominent private technology companies and in some cases may even issue fake stock certificates evidencing your purported investment. Anthropic does not issue stock certificates to the general public and anyone providing you with stock certificates is very likely engaged in fraud. We encourage anyone who receives this type of outreach to exercise extreme caution.Unauthorized firmsWe are aware of individuals or investment firms offering access to Anthropic financing rounds, or offering to purchase your Anthropic shares in violation of our transfer restrictions.

To be clear, the following firms are not authorized to buy or sell Anthropic shares:Any sale or transfer of Anthropic stock, or any interest in Anthropic stock, offered by these firms is void and will not be recognized on our books and records.Report concernsBefore investing in any opportunity claiming to offer Anthropic stock, we strongly encourage individuals to verify the legitimacy of the offering through official regulatory databases and to seek independent legal and financial advice. If you have concerns about someone claiming to sell Anthropic stock or marketing access to Anthropic equity, please email [email protected]. This inbox is only monitored for emails related to stock inquiries.If you believe you have been targeted by a stock scam:This article is intended to provide general information about Anthropic's stock transfer restrictions and to warn about potential investment scams. It does not constitute legal or financial advice.Related ArticlesAnthropic Software Directory TermsAnthropic Software Directory PolicyClaude Code power user tipsUse Claude for Outlook