Stop fake signups from draining your AI budget
Every fake account on your AI app burns real tokens. LLM inference, image generation, code completion: none of it is free. BigShield catches disposable emails before they touch your compute layer.
The free tier abuse problem in AI
AI apps are uniquely vulnerable to signup fraud because every API call has a real compute cost. Unlike traditional SaaS where a fake account just sits idle, a fake AI account actively consumes expensive GPU resources.
The numbers tell the story: up to 40% of free-tier signups use disposable or fake emails. A single abusive account on a code generation tool can burn $5 to $50 in tokens before anyone notices. Bot operators create hundreds of accounts to resell API access.
The damage compounds. Inflated user metrics mislead investors, wasted compute inflates your cloud bill, and engineering time goes to fighting abuse instead of building features.
Drop it in before account creation
One validate call before your account-creation logic. Under 100ms. Works with any stack.
// app/api/auth/register/route.ts
import { BigShield } from 'bigshield';
import { NextRequest, NextResponse } from 'next/server';
const shield = new BigShield(process.env.BIGSHIELD_API_KEY!);
export async function POST(req: NextRequest) {
const { email, password } = await req.json();
const ip = req.headers.get('x-forwarded-for') ?? undefined;
const result = await shield.validate(email, { ip });
if (result.recommendation === 'reject') {
return NextResponse.json(
{ error: 'Please use a valid email address.' },
{ status: 422 }
);
}
const user = await createUser(email, password);
if (result.recommendation === 'review') {
await flagForReview(user.id, result.score);
}
return NextResponse.json({ user });
}The score thresholds (40/75) are a starting point — adjust them in your custom rules to match your risk tolerance.
The math is simple
$4,200+/month
Cost of fraud
Average monthly compute wasted on fraudulent free-tier accounts across surveyed AI SaaS companies.
~$29/month
Cost of validation
Starter plan covers 5,000 validations per month, enough for most early-stage apps.
140x return
ROI
Block 80% of fake signups and save thousands in wasted compute every month.
Protect your AI budget today
Start free with 1,500 validations per month. No credit card required.
Start Blocking Fakes