Beware scam messages offering ships safe transit through Hormuz Strait, says security firm

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ATHENS – Fraudulent messages promising safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz in exchange for cryptocurrency have been sent to some shipping firms with vessels stranded west of the waterway, said Greek maritime risk management firm Marisks.

The US has maintained its blockade of Iranian ports, while Iran has lifted and then reimposed its blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, through which about one-fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas passed before war broke out in the Middle East.

Amid ceasefire talks, Tehran, which controls the choke point, has proposed tolls on vessels to safely transit.

Marisks on April 21 issued an alert warning shipowners that unknown actors, claiming to represent the Iranian authorities, had sent shipping firms a message demanding transit fees in cryptocurrencies, Bitcoin or Tether, for clearance.

“These specific messages are a scam,” the firm said, adding that the message was not sent by the Iranian authorities.

There was no immediate comment from Tehran.

Hundreds ​of ships and about 20,000 seafarers remain stranded in the Gulf.

On April 18, when Iran briefly opened the strait, subject to checks, ships tried to pass, but at least two of them, including a tanker, reported that Iranian boats had fired shots at them, forcing the vessels to turn around.

Marisks said it believed that at least one of the vessels, which tried to exit the strait on April 18 and was hit by gunfire, was a victim of the fraud.

Reuters was unable to verify the information or track firms that had received the message.

The message cited by Marisks said: “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.” REUTERS