Scammers Target Ships with Fake 'Safe Passage' Offers Through Hormuz

Reports have emerged of shipowners receiving fake messages requesting crypto payments in exchange for secure transit across the Strait of Hormuz, with at least one vessel potentially falling victim to the scam. Marisks, a maritime risk services company, has issued a warning after several shipping companies received messages from scammers impersonating Iranian authorities, asking for payments in bitcoin or USDT. The firm believes that at least one ship was targeted by the scam and came under fire while attempting to navigate the strait. 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 in exchange for safe passage, with fees likely to be paid in bitcoin. Marisks has assured that the messages are a scam and did not originate from official Iranian sources. The fraudulent messages claim that upon 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.