Scammers Target Shipping Companies with Fake 'Safe Passage' Offers through Hormuz

Shipping companies are being targeted by scammers with fraudulent messages asking for cryptocurrency payments in exchange for safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz. According to reports, at least one ship may have fallen victim to this scam. Marisks, a maritime risk services company, issued a warning after several shipping companies received messages from scammers claiming to be Iranian authorities and demanding bitcoin or USDT payments. The firm believes that one ship was fired upon while attempting to pass through the strait over the weekend. The Strait of Hormuz has been largely blocked by Iran since late February, leaving around 20,000 oil tankers and freighters stranded in the Gulf. The U.S. has initiated a naval blockade of the strait and seized an Iranian vessel trying to evade the operation. Iran had proposed introducing cryptocurrency tolls for vessels in exchange for safe transit, with fees likely to be charged in bitcoin. However, Marisks has assured that the messages received by shipping companies are scams and did not originate from official Iranian sources. The fraudulent messages asked shipowners to provide documents and pay a fee in cryptocurrency after their eligibility had been assessed by the Iranian Security Services. The shipping company has not responded to requests for comment.