Scammers Target Ships Stuck in Hormuz, Demand Crypto for 'Safe Passage'

A wave of scams is targeting shipowners stranded by the Hormuz blockade, with scammers asking for cryptocurrency payments in exchange for a supposed safe passage. According to reports, at least one vessel may have fallen victim to the scam. Marisks, a maritime risk services company, has issued a warning about these fraudulent messages, which claim to be from Iranian authorities and request bitcoin or USDT payments. The company believes that one ship was duped and came under fire while attempting to navigate the strait. 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 US has initiated a naval blockade of the strait and seized an Iranian vessel trying to evade it. Recently, Tehran proposed introducing cryptocurrency tolls for vessels in exchange for safe passage, with fees likely to be paid in bitcoin. Marisks has assured that the messages are scams and did not originate from official Iranian sources. The fraudulent messages claim that after providing documents and being assessed by the Iranian Security Services, a fee in cryptocurrency will be determined, allowing the vessel to transit the strait unimpeded at a pre-agreed time.