Crypto scammers are targeting thousands of ships stranded near the Strait of Hormuz – and at least one ship that encountered Iranian fire may have been duped into believing it had paid Iran for safe passage.
According to Reuters, the first warning of such a crypto scam came from Greek maritime risk management company MARISKS on April 20. The company alerted shipowners that fraudsters posing as Iranian officials had sent messages to shipping companies asking for “transit fee” payment in Bitcoin or Tether.
This could be particularly confusing for shipping companies because Iran claims control over the Strait of Hormuz – a vital shipping channel and maritime chokepoint that normally allows Persian Gulf countries to supply one-fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas supplies. Iranian authorities have demanded cryptocurrency payments from oil tankers to pass through the waterway and are requiring ships to follow a route near Iran’s coastline for inspection.
MARISKS identified a ship as potentially being the victim of a crypto scam after attempting to pass through the strait on April 18, although Reuters was unable to confirm that information. The incident is believed to have occurred during a brief period when Iran claimed it was allowing inspection ships to pass, but the ship returned after Iranian military forces fired on it. About 2,000 ships and 20,000 sailors are still stranded near the strait.
That ship may not be the only one to fall into a crypto scam in search of safe passage. On April 22, the Liberian-flagged cargo ship epaminondasThe Ekthimerini, owned by Greek company Technomar Shipping and operated by global shipping company MSC, was reportedly fired upon after it was granted permission to pass through the strait, and authorities are investigating whether the message offering safe passage “may have been fraudulent”, according to the release.
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