Crypto scammers impersonate Iran, sell fake safe-passage to ships at Hormuz

Scammers posing as Iranian authorities are extorting bitcoin and tether payments from shipping companies stranded near the Strait of Hormuz, dangling false promises of safe transit through the chokepoint. Greek maritime risk firm MARISKS flagged the scheme on April 20, noting that the fraud is plausible cover precisely because Iran has been demanding real crypto payments and coastal inspections from tankers attempting to cross.

At least one vessel that tried to transit on April 18 turned back under Iranian gunfire after reportedly paying a fraudulent fee. Days later, the Liberia-flagged cargo ship Epaminondas — owned by Technomar and operated by MSC — was also fired upon despite holding what it believed was authorisation, with investigators now examining whether the safe-passage message was forged.

The attack surface is enormous: roughly 2,000 ships and 20,000 mariners are pinned near the strait, where one-fifth of global oil and LNG normally moves. The mix of legitimate state-demanded crypto fees and impersonator messages collapses any reliable signal of authenticity, turning a kinetic blockade into a social-engineering goldmine.