Fraudsters are targeting global shipping firms with fake payment demands in Strait of Hormuz transit schemes, seeking fees in Bitcoin and Tether as vessels remain stranded amid conflict in the Gulf.

Greek maritime risk firm MARISKS said unknown actors have sent messages to shipowners claiming to represent Iranian authorities and offering safe passage through the chokepoint in exchange for bitcoin payments. 

The firm warned that the communications are fraudulent and not linked to Tehran.

The alerts come as tensions between the United States and Iran disrupt one of the world’s most critical energy corridors. The waterway once carried about a fifth of global oil and liquefied…

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