Exploitation of AI Service Accounts via Gray Market

• •A gray market for AI service accounts is flourishing, particularly in China.
• •Fraudulent registrations exploit free trials and credits to gain access to AI models.
• •Okta emphasizes the need for better controls to manage fraudulent signups without hindering legitimate users.

A thriving gray market for AI service accounts has emerged, driven by high demand for discounted access to AI models, particularly in regions like China where access is restricted. Fraudulent registrations exploiting free trials and credits are a primary method of obtaining these accounts. Okta's Threat Intelligence team highlights that the illegal market is significantly larger in Chinese-language offerings compared to English-language ones. This situation poses challenges for legitimate service providers in controlling fraudulent signups while maintaining low friction for genuine users. The ongoing abuse of free and discounted AI services raises concerns about security and identity management across affected platforms. As of September 2025, companies like Anthropic have attempted to curb this trend by restricting access to unsupported regions, but the gray market continues to thrive.