In a bid to extort money from shipping firms, fraudsters have created fake demands for payment in Bitcoin and Tether. The schemes are being used by criminals as the vessels remain in the Gulf stranded due to conflict.
Greek maritime risk firm MARISKS said Shipowners have received messages from unknown individuals claiming to be Iranian officials and offering them safe passage to the chokepoint exchanged for bitcoin payments.
It warned the firm that these communications were not genuine and had no connection to Tehran.
Alerts are sent as soon tensions between the United States and Iran disrupt One of the most important energy corridors in the world. The waterway used to carry about one-fifth of the world’s oil and gas liquefied flows. Military activities and changing restrictions caused hundreds of ships to stall west of the Passage, affecting about 20,000 mariners.
MARISKS claims that these messages direct companies to send vessel documentation to MARISKS for approval. “Iranian Security Services,” Then, the fee will be in Bitcoins or Tether. Senders say ships will then be cleared to pass at the scheduled time without any interference.
MARISKS confirmed that at least one ship may have been the victim of this scheme. The company linked the case with a ship which was attacked when it tried to escape the Strait.
Reporters from Reuters were unable to verify the companies that received these messages.
Payments in Iran using Bitcoin
Iran was reported to have planned earlier this month to require that shipping companies pay the transit toll in bitcoins for vessels traveling through the Strait of Hormuz. The move is linked with one of the most vital energy corridors of the planet.
In order to maintain access control, the policy would require payment requests be issued before transit. Payments must then be settled in Bitcoin within a small window. US–Iran ceasefire period.
Any such request for payment carries both legal and financial risk, say security analysts. Even if money does not reach the sanctioned entity, sanctions regimes relating to Iran could expose companies.
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Source: bitcoinmagazine.com
