Key Takeaways:
- MARISKS reports unknown actors are extorting shipping firms for bitcoin and USDT to bypass the blockade.
- At least one tanker was hit by Iranian gunfire on April 18 after paying scammers for “safe passage.”
- Future maritime security remains uncertain as 20,000 seafarers await the outcome of 2026 ceasefire talks.
Fraudulent Passage Offers
According to the Greek maritime risk management firm MARISKS, unknown actors have been targeting shipping companies with messages promising safe passage and clearance through the Strait of Hormuz. The messages claim to represent Iranian security services and demand transit fees in bitcoin and USDT.
The fraudulent messages state that after “assessing eligibility,” a fee will be determined, after which the vessel will supposedly be allowed to transit the strait “unimpeded at a pre-agreed time.”
“These specific messages are a scam,” MARISKS warned in its latest alert, clarifying that the communications did not originate from Tehran, despite the Iranian government’s recent public proposals to implement official transit tolls. MARISKS reported a direct correlation between this scam and a violent escalation on the water.
On Saturday, April 18, just hours after Iran briefly opened the strait subject to inspections, several ships attempted the transit. However, at least one vessel—a tanker hit by Iranian gunfire—is believed to have been a victim of this specific fraud.
The crew, likely operating under the false impression that its “crypto-clearance” guaranteed safety, attempted to exit the strait only to be met with warning shots and direct fire from Iranian boats. This forced the vessel to make a panicked U-turn, narrowly avoiding a more deadly engagement.
The situation in the Gulf remains precarious, with the U.S. maintaining a blockade of Iranian ports while Tehran continues to toggle its control over the strait, through which 20% of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas typically flows. An estimated 20,000 seafarers are currently caught in the crossfire of the blockade.
Tehran has insisted on transit tolls amid ceasefire talks, and media reports earlier in the month suggested that Iran was already collecting fees from vessels passing through the strait. However, the tolling system remains secretive, making it difficult for shipping companies to determine whether they are dealing with legitimate representatives of Iran. According to Reuters, scammers are now exploiting this gap to fleece vessels desperate to exit the strait.
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