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

A fraudulent scheme has emerged where scammers, posing as Iranian officials, are contacting shipowners stuck in the Strait of Hormuz and asking for cryptocurrency payments in exchange for guaranteed safe passage. According to reports, at least one vessel may have fallen victim to this scam. Marisks, a Greek maritime risk services company, has issued a warning after several shipping companies received messages from these scammers, who are requesting bitcoin or USDT. The firm believes that one ship was duped and came under fire while attempting to navigate through the strait over the weekend. The blockade of the strait by Iran, which began on February 28, has left around 20,000 oil tankers and freighters stranded in the Gulf. The situation escalated after the US and Israel initiated a war on the Middle Eastern country, prompting the US to impose a naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, resulting in the seizure of an Iranian vessel trying to evade the operation. In response, Tehran proposed the introduction of cryptocurrency tolls for vessels seeking safe transit, with bitcoin being the likely payment method. Marisks has confirmed that these messages are scams and did not originate from official Iranian sources. The scammers' message, as cited by Marisks, assured the shipowners that upon providing the required documents and assessing their eligibility, the Iranian Security Services would determine the cryptocurrency fee to be paid, allowing the vessel to pass through the strait unimpeded at a pre-agreed time.