Shipping companies are being targeted by fraudsters asking for cryptocurrency payments in exchange for purportedly secure transit through the Strait of Hormuz, with reports suggesting at least one vessel may have fallen victim to the scam. According to Reuters, Marisks, a Greek maritime risk services company, has issued a warning after several shipping firms received messages from scammers posing as Iranian authorities, requesting bitcoin or USDT payments. The company believes that at least one ship was deceived and came under fire while attempting to navigate the strait over the weekend. The strait has been largely blocked by Iran since late February, leaving around 20,000 oil tankers and freighters stranded in the Gulf.
The U.S. and Israel initiated a conflict with Iran, prompting a naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz by the U.S.
and the seizure of an Iranian vessel trying to evade the operation. Iran, which controls the strategic waterway, proposed introducing cryptocurrency tolls for vessels seeking safe passage, with the fees likely to be paid in bitcoin. Marisks released its warning on Monday, stating that the messages were scams and did not originate from official Iranian sources.
The fraudulent messages claimed that upon providing documents and assessing eligibility, the Iranian Security Services would determine a fee payable in cryptocurrency, allowing the vessel to transit the strait unimpeded at a pre-agreed time. The shipping company did not immediately respond to a request for comment.