Scammers impersonating Iranian authorities demanding Bitcoin or USDT as "toll fees," with ships being defrauded and still attacked after payment

Golden Finance reports that on April 22, scammers impersonated Iranian authorities, demanding payment in cryptocurrency 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 that multiple shipping companies have received scam messages impersonating Iranian authorities, requesting payment in Bitcoin or USDT. The company believes that at least one ship fell victim to the scam over the weekend and was fired upon while attempting to pass through the strait. Marisks stated, “These specific messages are scams,” and confirmed that the information is not from official Iranian sources.
The scam message published by Marisks reads: “After submitting documents and being evaluated by Iranian security agencies, we will determine the fee payable in cryptocurrency (BTC or USDT). Only then can your ship pass freely through the strait at the agreed time.” Since the U.S. and Israel launched a war against Iran on February 28, the passage through the Strait of Hormuz has been essentially blocked by Iran, with 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 bypass the blockade has been seized.
On April 9, Iran, which controls this critical passage, proposed charging ships a cryptocurrency toll for safe passage. Hamid Hosseini, spokesperson for Iran’s Petroleum, Natural Gas, and Petrochemical Exporters’ Union, stated that the cryptocurrency fee could be settled in Bitcoin. Iran has not yet commented on Marisks’ warning.