Scammers impersonating Iranian authorities demanding Bitcoin or USDT as "tolls," with ships already paying and still being attacked afterward

BlockBeats message, April 22, according to CoinDesk, scammers impersonating Iranian authorities are demanding cryptocurrency payments in exchange for safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz, and at least one ship may have been deceived. Greek maritime risk service company Marisks issued a warning saying that multiple shipping companies have received scam messages posing as Iranian authorities, asking for payment in Bitcoin or USDT. The company believes that over the weekend, at least one ship became a victim of the scam and was fired upon when trying to pass through the strait. Marisks said, “These specific messages are scams,” and confirmed that the relevant information is not from Iran’s official sources.

The original text of the scam message published by Marisks states: “After submitting documents and having your qualifications assessed by Iranian security departments, we will determine the fees that need to be paid in cryptocurrency (BTC or USDT). At that time, your vessel will be able to pass through the strait freely at the agreed time.” Since February 28, when the U.S. and Israel launched a war against Iran, passage through the Strait of Hormuz has been essentially blocked by Iran; currently, there are about 20,000 oil tankers and other cargo ships stranded in the Gulf. A week ago, U.S. President Trump ordered a naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, and since then, an Iranian ship attempting to evade the action has been seized.

On April 9, the Iranian side, which controls this choke point, previously proposed charging ships a crypto toll in exchange for safe passage. A spokesperson for Iran’s Oil, Gas and Petrochemical Products Exporters Association, Hamid Hosseini, said that the crypto fees may be settled in Bitcoin. Iran has not yet responded to Marisks’ warning.