Scammers Target Ships with Fake 'Safe Passage' Offers Through Strait of Hormuz

A recent wave of fraudulent messages has been sent to shipowners, asking for crypto payments in exchange for unimpeded passage through the Strait of Hormuz, with at least one vessel reportedly falling victim to the scam. According to Reuters, Marisks, a Greek maritime risk services firm, has 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 around 20,000 oil tankers and freighters stranded in the Gulf. Last week, US President Donald Trump ordered a naval blockade of the strait and seized an Iranian vessel attempting to evade the operation. Tehran, which controls the strait, proposed introducing cryptocurrency tolls for vessels in exchange for safe transit on April 9, with the fees likely to be paid in bitcoin. Marisks released its alert on Monday, stating that the messages were a scam and did not originate from official Iranian sources. The fraudulent message, cited by Marisks, claimed that upon providing documents and assessing eligibility, the Iranian Security Services would determine the cryptocurrency fee to be paid, allowing the vessel to transit the strait unimpeded at a pre-agreed time.