A growing wave of deception is targeting global shipping at one of the world’s most sensitive maritime chokepoints, with fraudsters now impersonating Iranian authorities and demanding cryptocurrency payments to guarantee safe transit through the Strait of Hormuz. The warning has sent fresh shockwaves through an already volatile corridor where hundreds of vessels remain stranded amid escalating regional instability.

CRYPTO SCAM TARGETS STRANDED SHIPS IN HIGH-RISK WATERWAY
Fraudulent messages promising safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz in exchange for cryptocurrency have been sent to some shipping companies whose vessels are stranded west of the waterway, Greek maritime risk management firm MARISKS has warned.

The timing is critical. The U.S. has maintained its blockade of Iranian ports, while Iran has lifted and then re-imposed its blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, through which roughly a 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 chokepoint, has proposed tolls on vessels to safely transit.

MARITIME SECURITY ALERT ISSUED AS FAKE AUTHORITIES DEMAND BITCOIN PAYMENTS
MARISKS on Monday issued an alert warning shipowners that unknown actors, claiming to represent Iranian authorities, had sent some shipping companies a message demanding transit fees in cryptocurrencies, Bitcoin or Tether, for “clearance”.

"These specific messages are a scam,"

the firm said, adding the message was not sent by Iranian authorities.

There was no immediate comment from Tehran.

Hundreds of ships and about 20,000 seafarers remain stranded in the Gulf, heightening fears of a prolonged shipping bottleneck with global trade implications.

GUNFIRE INCIDENTS AND ESCALATING DANGER AT SEA
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 that it believed that at least one of the vessels, which tried to exit the strait on Saturday and was hit by gunfire, was a victim of the fraud.

Reuters was not able to verify the information or track companies that had received the message.

FAKE “CLEARANCE” DEMANDS REVEAL SOPHISTICATED DECEPTION
"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 message cited by MARISKS.

As investigations continue, the incident underscores a dangerous new layer of risk for global shipping operators already navigating military tensions, blocked ports, and an increasingly unpredictable Strait of Hormuz.