The blockade situation in the Strait of Hormuz continues to deteriorate. Taking advantage of the crisis, criminal groups have targeted vessels eager to navigate this strategic waterway, and several ships have come under artillery fire after being misled by false information.

Greek maritime risk management firm MARISKS issued a security alert on Monday, warning that multiple shipping companies have received fraudulent communications. Scammers claim that payment in cryptocurrency will guarantee safe and unimpeded passage through the Strait of Hormuz.

At present, hundreds of vessels and around 20,000 seafarers remain stranded in the Persian Gulf west of the strait, facing severe hardship. The waterway is now under dual restrictive blockades by the United States and Iran. The U.S. maintains sanctions and restrictions on Iranian ports, while Iran has recently reinstated tight navigation controls across the Strait of Hormuz after a temporary easing.

Before the outbreak of Middle Eastern hostilities, roughly one-fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas shipments relied on this vital shipping lane. Escalating conflicts have severely disrupted navigational safety and accessibility.

During previous cease-fire negotiations, Iran proposed collecting official transit tolls from passing vessels to secure safe passage through the strait, with payments to be settled in Iranian rials. The Iranian Parliament is currently reviewing legislation to formalize the collection of shipping transit fees for the Strait of Hormuz.

According to MARISKS’ security advisory, unidentified individuals are impersonating official Iranian authorities and sending fake notices to shipping operators. The fraudsters demand payments in cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin and Tether in exchange for alleged authorized passage rights. MARISKS explicitly confirmed that such demands are not issued by any Iranian government body and constitute outright scams.

The fraudulent messages state:

“Our team will verify vessel documentation, and Iranian security authorities will review and confirm the required cryptocurrency payment amount. Once payment is completed, your vessel will be granted unimpeded scheduled transit through the strait.”

On April 18, Iran briefly opened the Strait of Hormuz for navigation inspections, prompting a surge of attempted transits. At least two vessels, including an oil tanker, came under fire from Iranian speedboats and were forced to turn back. MARISKS assessed that at least one of the targeted ships was deceived by the cryptocurrency toll scam and subsequently attacked while attempting passage.