Scammers Target Stranded Ships with False Promises of Safe Passage through Hormuz

A wave of fraudulent messages is being sent to shipowners, asking for cryptocurrency payments in exchange for purportedly secure passage across the Strait of Hormuz, with reports suggesting at least one vessel may have fallen victim to the scam. Marisks, a Greek maritime risk services company, issued a warning after several shipping companies received messages from scammers posing as Iranian authorities, requesting bitcoin or USDT payments. The firm believes that at least one ship was duped and came under fire while attempting to navigate the strait over the weekend. The Strait of Hormuz has been largely blocked by Iran since February 28, following the initiation of a war by the US and Israel, leaving approximately 20,000 oil tankers and freighters stranded in the Gulf. Recently, the US imposed a naval blockade on the strait and seized an Iranian vessel attempting to evade the operation. Iran, which controls the strategic chokepoint, proposed introducing cryptocurrency tolls for vessels in exchange for secure transit, with the fees likely to be paid in bitcoin. Marisks released its warning on Monday, stating that the messages did not originate from official Iranian sources. The fake messages claimed that upon providing documents and being assessed by the Iranian Security Services, a fee in cryptocurrency would be determined, allowing the vessel to transit the strait unimpeded at a pre-agreed time. The shipping company has not responded to requests for comment.