The Greek maritime risk management agency MARISKS issued an alert on Monday warning that scammers masquerading as Iranian officials are offering false promises of safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz to shipping companies, in exchange for ransoms paid in cryptocurrency.
At least one ship appears to have fallen for such a scam, only to be attacked by Iranian terrorist forces while attempting to pass through the strait.
The warning from MARISKS said that unidentified actors pretending to be Iranian officials are sending messages to shipowners, offering safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz in exchange for “transit fees” to be paid in cryptocurrency, either Bitcoin or Tether.
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“After providing the documents and assessing your eligibility by the Iranian Security Services, we will be able to determine the fee to be paid in cryptocurrency (BTC or USDT). Only then will your vessel be able to transit the strait unimpeded at the pre-agreed time,” said one of the fraudulent messages cited by MARISKS.
“These specific messages are a scam,” the Greek security firm said.
The fraudsters are evidently preying on reports that Iran might attempt to charge a ransom or “toll” for safe passage, possibly ranging up to millions of dollars per ship.
“We in parliament are pursuing a plan under which countries will pay tolls and taxes to the Islamic Republic if the Strait of Hormuz is used as a secure route for transit, energy and food security,” Iranian lawmaker Somayeh Rafiei told the Iranian Students’ News Agency (ISNA) on March 19.
“The security of the strait will be established with strength, authority and grandeur by the Islamic Republic of Iran, and countries must pay a tax in return,” Rafiei said.
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On April 9, Iranian officials claimed they had begun collecting ransom payments of $1 per barrel of oil from tankers passing through the strait. The fees were supposedly paid in cryptocurrency. The largest oil tankers can carry up to two million barrels of oil.
President Donald Trump said on April 12 that any ship paying tolls or ransom to Iran would be prevented by the U.S. Navy from passing through the Strait of Hormuz. The Iranian regime began denying reports that it had charged some Indian ships a fee for safe passage.
It would seem that at least one Indian ship, the oil tanker Sanmar Herald, paid for safe passage but was attacked by Iran’s terrorist Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) anyway. MARISKS warned that at least one ship may have fallen prey to the scammers, and it might well have been the Sanmar Herald.
On Saturday, NBC News broadcast radio transmissions from a crewman aboard the Sanmar Herald as it came under attack by Iranian gunboats. The crewman could be heard pleading with the IRGC Navy, also known as the Sepah Navy, to stop shooting and allow the ship to withdraw.
“Sepah Navy. Sepah Navy. This is motor tanker Sanmar Herald. You gave me clearance to go. My name is second on your list. You are firing now. Let me turn back,” the crewman said.
Iranian state media confirmed that two Indian ships, the Sanmar Herald and the bulk carrier Jag Arnav, were attacked by the IRGC. Both ships were said to be damaged in the attack. Both ships were bound for India, with the Sanmar Herald carrying oil from Iraq, while the Jag Arnav sailed from the port of Al Jubail in Saudi Arabia.
The Indian government summoned Iranian ambassador Mohammad Fathali after the incident to convey New Delhi’s “deep concern.”
Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri complained that Iran was previously willing to allow several ships heading for India to pass safely through the Strait of Hormuz, although he did not say whether or not India paid a ransom for the passage.
According to the Indian Foreign Ministry, Misri asked Iran to “resume at the earliest the process of facilitating India-bound ships across the Strait.”
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