Fraudulent messages are being sent to shipowners, asking for cryptocurrency payments in exchange for a supposedly secure passage 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 companies received these messages, which claim to be from Iranian authorities and request bitcoin or USDT. 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 has been largely blocked by Iran since February 28, following the initiation of a war by the US and Israel, resulting in approximately 20,000 oil tankers and freighters being stranded in the Gulf. Last week, US President Donald Trump ordered a naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, seizing one Iranian vessel that tried to evade the operation.
On April 9, Tehran proposed introducing cryptocurrency tolls for vessels in exchange for safe passage, with the fees likely to be paid in bitcoin, according to Hamid Hosseini, spokesperson for Iran's Oil, Gas and Petrochemical Products Exporters' Union. Marisks released its alert on Monday, stating that the messages did not originate from official Iranian sources. The fraudulent messages claim that upon providing documents and assessing eligibility, the Iranian Security Services will determine the cryptocurrency fee, allowing the vessel to transit the strait unimpeded at a pre-agreed time. The shipping company has not responded to a request for comment.