Reports have emerged of shipowners receiving fake messages requesting crypto payments in bitcoin or USDT in exchange for safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz, with at least one vessel allegedly falling victim to the scam. Marisks, a Greek maritime risk services company, has issued a warning after several shipping companies received messages from scammers posing as Iranian authorities. 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 late February, leaving around 20,000 oil tankers and freighters stranded in the Gulf.
The U.S. has initiated a naval blockade of the strait and seized an Iranian vessel trying to evade the operation. Recently, Tehran proposed introducing cryptocurrency tolls for vessels seeking safe transit, with bitcoin being the likely payment method. Marisks has assured that the messages are scams and did not originate from official Iranian sources.
The fake messages claim that upon providing documents and eligibility assessment 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.