Fraudsters using crypto schemes are targeting the thousands of vessels stalled near the Strait of Hormuz — and at least one ship that was fired upon by Iranian forces may have been conned into believing it had paid Iran for safe transit.
The initial alert about this type of crypto scam came from Greek maritime risk manager MARISKS on April 20, according to Reuters. The firm warned shipowners that impostors posing as Iranian officials had contacted shipping companies requesting “transit fee” payments in bitcoin or tether.
The situation is especially confusing for ship operators because of how Iran has asserted control over the Strait of Hormuz — a critical maritime route and chokepoint that normally handles about one-fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas exports. Iranian authorities have been demanding cryptocurrency payments from tankers to transit the waterway and have required ships to follow a route close to Iran’s coast for inspection.
MARISKS named one vessel as possibly having fallen victim to a crypto scam after it tried to pass through the strait on April 18, though Reuters could not verify the claim. The episode allegedly happened during a brief window when Iran said it was allowing inspections for passage, but the vessel turned back after Iranian military forces opened fire. Roughly 2,000 ships and 20,000 mariners remain stranded near the strait.
The ship may not be the only one tricked by a crypto fraud while seeking safe passage. On April 22, the Liberia-flagged cargo ship Epaminondas, owned by the Greek company Technomar Shipping and operated by global carrier MSC, was fired upon after reportedly receiving permission to transit the strait, and authorities are examining whether the message granting safe passage “may have been fraudulent,” according to Ekathimerini.
