Shipowners are receiving fraudulent messages asking for crypto payments in exchange for safe passage across the Strait of Hormuz, and at least one may have been taken in, Reuters reported Tuesday.
Marisks, a Greek maritime risk services company, issued a warning saying several shipping companies had received messages from scammers posing as Iranian authorities and asking for bitcoin or USDT. The firm said it believed at least one ship fell victim to the scam and was fired upon while trying to pass through the strait over the weekend, Reuters said.
Shipping traffic through the strait has largely been blocked by Iran since Feb. 28, when the U.S. and Israel initiated a war on the Middle East country. According to Reuters, there are roughly 20,000 oil tankers and other freighters stranded in the Gulf.
A week ago, U.S. President Donald Trump ordered a naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz and has since seized one Iranian vessel trying to evade the operation.
On April 9, Tehran, which controls the chokepoint, proposed crypto tolls on vessels in exchange for safe transit. Hamid Hosseini, spokesperson for Iran’s Oil, Gas and Petrochemical Products Exporters’ Union, said the crypto fees would likely be charged in bitcoin.
Marisks issued its alert on Monday. Iran has not made any comment, Reuters added.
“These specific messages are a scam,” Marisks said, assuring the messages did not come from official Iranian sources.
“After providing the documents and assessing your eligibility by the Iranian Security Services, we will be able to determine the fee to be paid in cryptocurrency (BTC or USDT). Only then will your vessel be able to transit the strait unimpeded at the pre-agreed time,” said the fraudulent message cited by Marisks, according to Reuters.
The shipping company did not immediately respond to a CoinDesk request for comment.