Scammers Targeting Ships Stranded by Hormuz Blockade with Fake 'Safe Passage' Offers

Fraudulent messages are being sent to shipowners, asking for crypto payments in exchange for unimpeded passage across the Strait of Hormuz. According to a report by Reuters, at least one ship may have fallen victim to this scam. Marisks, a Greek maritime risk services company, issued a warning after several shipping companies received messages from scammers claiming to be Iranian authorities, requesting bitcoin or USDT payments. The firm believes that one ship was fired upon while attempting to pass through 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 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 transit, with fees likely to be charged in bitcoin. Marisks has assured that the messages are a scam and did not originate from official Iranian sources. The fraudulent messages claim that after providing documents and assessing eligibility, a fee in cryptocurrency will be determined, allowing the vessel to transit the strait unimpeded at a pre-agreed time.