Fraudulent messages are being sent to shipowners, asking for cryptocurrency payments in exchange for safe passage across the Strait of Hormuz, with reports suggesting that at least one ship may have fallen victim to the scam. According to a warning issued by Marisks, a Greek maritime risk services company, several shipping companies have received messages from scammers posing as Iranian authorities, requesting bitcoin or USDT payments. The firm believes that at least one ship was duped and came under fire while attempting to pass through 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, leaving around 20,000 oil tankers and freighters stranded in the Gulf.
The US has since imposed a naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz and seized an Iranian vessel trying to evade the operation. Iran had 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.