Kathmandu. Greek maritime risk management firm Merex has issued a serious warning on Monday. The firm has been sending fraudulent messages to ships and shipping companies stranded west of the Strait of Hormuz. These messages are being sent by people posing as Iranian officials and demanding high fees on cryptocurrencies like bitcoin in exchange for safe passage.
The security firm said the messages were a “complete scam” and had no connection to Iranian authorities. Hundreds of ships and nearly 20,000 sailors are currently stranded in the Gulf.
It is noteworthy that Iran had proposed tolling ships for safe passage in the midst of ceasefire talks. This step is now being exploited by fraudsters. There has been no official comment from Tehran on the matter so far.
Merrix said at least one of the ships that tried to leave Hormuz on Saturday and was shot down may have been the victim of the hoax. On April 18, when Iran briefly opened the waterway for inspection, many ships tried to leave. One of the two ships was a tanker. The planes were forced to turn back after reports of shelling by Iranian ships.
U.S. sanctions on Iranian ports and Iran’s repeated closure of Hormuz have disrupted global oil and natural gas supplies. Before the war, one-fifth of the world’s energy supply passed through this route. Cybercriminals are taking advantage of this uncertainty to scam shipping companies under the guise of clearance. Merex advises all ship owners not to believe in any such anonymous payment requests.
Thousands of sailors stranded at sea are battling between Tehran and the international powers that control Hormuz. At a time when stranded ships are driving up logistics costs, such scam messages have added to the concerns of shipping companies. Security agencies are now investigating the source of these fake messages to prevent future frauds. –Agency
