Fraudulent messages promising safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz in exchange for cryptocurrency have been sent to some shipping companies whose vessels are ‌stranded west of the waterway, Greek maritime risk management firm MARISKS has warned.

The U.S. has ⁠maintained its blockade of Iranian ports, while Iran has lifted and then re-imposed its blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, ‌through which roughly a fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas passed before ‌war broke out in West Asia.

Amid ceasefire ‌talks, ⁠Tehran, which controls the chokepoint, has proposed tolls ⁠on vessels to safely transit.

MARISKS on Monday (April 20, 2026) issued an alert warning shipowners that unknown actors, claiming to represent Iranian authorities, had sent some shipping companies ‌a message demanding transit fees in cryptocurrencies, Bitcoin or Tether, for “clearance”.

“These specific messages are a scam,” the firm said, adding the message was not sent ‌by Iranian authorities.

– Reuters