🚢 Scammers are extorting cryptocurrencies from ships in Hormuz: Posing as Iran, demanding “tolls” in BTC or USDT

Against the backdrop of the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a new scam has surfaced: Unknown individuals are sending messages to shipping companies, posing as "Iranian security services" and demanding payment for safe passage in cryptocurrency.

➡️ What happened

🟡 Maritime risk company Marisks warns: Shipowners are starting to receive messages demanding payment of “transit charges”
🟡 The messages requested payment in Bitcoin or USDT, claiming it was the fee for permission to pass through the strait
🟡Marisks makes it clear: these are scammers and not an official Iranian agency
🟡 Iran has not publicly confirmed these news

➡️ How this scam works

🟡 They first ask for “audit documents” to create the illusion of an official process
🟡 Then specify a cryptocurrency “fee” and promise to provide a safe passage “window” at a pre-agreed time
🟡 In other words, this is essentially a classic blackmail scheme, just disguised as a "government service"

➡️ Why is it so easy to get it now?

🟡 Hormuz is a key artery for global energy transport, and any tension there amplifies fear and chaos
🟡 Before the situation escalated, about a fifth of the world’s oil and LNG supplies passed through the strait
🟡 In the context of rumors about the possible imposition of "tolls", some market participants will have a feeling that this kind of thing "seems like it might really happen"

➡️ MOST IMPORTANT WARNING: THE DANGERS OF PAYMENTS ARE NOT JUST BECAUSE OF SCAMS

🟡 Even if the request is truly “official,” cryptocurrency payments tied to Iran’s control of the strait could trigger sanctions issues
🟡 This may be construed as providing assistance to a restricted entity, with full legal consequences for companies, insurance agencies and banks
🟡 In other words, this is a double trap: giving money to scammers and bringing legal risks to yourself

Conclusion: Conflict brings not only soaring oil prices and market volatility, but also new modes of extortion. Any “official tolls paid in BTC or USDT” should now be considered a red flag. In this case, the only correct response is to verify through official channels and not make any cryptocurrency transfers just to be "safe".

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