Fraudulent actors are targeting commercial shipping companies operating near the Strait of Hormuz with fake messages that promise safe passage through the strategic waterway in exchange for cryptocurrency payments, according to a new report.
The scam involves communications that impersonate maritime or governmental authorities, who then instruct vessel operators to pay "clearance fees" in digital currencies such as Bitcoin or Tether before being allowed to proceed through the strait, The Irish Sun detailed. The messages are designed to appear formal, often including procedural language and document-style formatting intended to mimic legitimate shipping authorization systems.
