ATHENS: Fraudulent messages promising safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz in exchange for cryptocurrency have been sent to some shipping companies whose ships are stuck west of the waterway, Greek maritime risk management company MARISKS has warned.
The United States maintained its blockade of Iranian ports, while Iran lifted and then reimposed its blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, through which about 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 ships to transit safely.
MARISKS issued an alert on Monday warning shipowners that unknown actors, claiming to represent Iranian authorities, had sent certain shipping companies a message demanding transit fees in cryptocurrencies, Bitcoin or Tether, for “customs clearance”.
“These specific messages are a scam,” the company said, adding that the message was not sent by Iranian authorities.
There was no immediate comment from Tehran.
Hundreds of ships and around 20,000 sailors remain stranded in the Gulf.
On April 18, when Iran briefly opened the strait subject to controls, ships attempted to pass through but at least two, including an oil tanker, reported that Iranian boats had fired on them, forcing the ships to turn back.
MARISKS said it believed at least one of the ships, which attempted to leave the strait on Saturday and was hit by gunfire, was a victim of the fraud.
Reuters was unable to verify the information or track which companies received the message.
“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 can your ship pass through the strait unhindered at the pre-agreed time,” the message quoted by MARISKS said.
