Scammers offer “safe passage” through Strait of Hormuz for crypto

Some shipping companies whose vessels are currently stranded west of the Strait of Hormuz have begun receiving fraudulent messages offering a “safe passage” through the strait in exchange for cryptocurrency, according to the maritime risk management company MARISKS.

On April 21, MARISKS alerted shipowners that unidentified individuals, posing as representatives of Iranian authorities, had contacted several shipping companies demanding transit fees in cryptocurrency, including Bitcoin and the stablecoin Tether, in exchange for “permission” to pass through the strait, Caliber.Az reports via foreign media.

“These specific messages are a scam,” the company stated, adding that the communications were not issued by Iranian authorities.

There has been no official comment from Tehran so far.

MARISKS stated it believes that at least one of the vessels attempting to exit the strait on April 18 and subsequently struck by gunfire may have fallen victim to a scam.

Hundreds of ships, carrying around 20,000 seafarers, remain effectively stranded in the Gulf amid ongoing uncertainty.

On April 18, when Iran briefly reopened the strait for inspection procedures, multiple vessels attempted passage; however, at least two ships, including a tanker, reported coming under fire from Iranian boats and were forced to turn back.

By Jeyhun Aghazada