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Scam messages offering ships safe transit through Hormuz, security firm warns
Marisks said scammers posed as Iranian authorities and asked shipowners for Bitcoin or Tether payments, with at least one vessel believed to have been fooled.
- On Monday, Greek maritime firm Marisks warned shipowners that unknown actors posing as Iranian authorities sent fraudulent messages demanding cryptocurrency payments for passage "Clearance." through the Strait of Hormuz.
- Hundreds of ships and about 20,000 seafarers remain stranded in the Gulf, where actors claim that after assessing eligibility via "Iranian Security Services," they will determine fees payable in Bitcoin or Tether.
- Marisks believes at least one vessel hit by gunfire on Saturday, April 18, when Iran briefly opened the strait, was a victim of this cryptocurrency extortion scheme.
- Reuters reported it was unable to verify the information or track firms that received the messages, while Tehran has provided no immediate comment on the fraud.
- Blockades persist at Iranian ports as Iran has proposed transit tolls on vessels, with Tehran controlling the choke point amid ongoing ceasefire negotiations in the region.
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58 Articles
Crypto scam scandal: Ships pay fake IRGC officials to pass at Strait of Hormuz
ALBAWABA - A new scandal has deepened the crack in the Strait of Hormuz following the discovery of a scam group luring ships, strained at the waterway due to closure by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard (IRGC), for money for a safe passage...
·Amman, Jordan
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Swindlers pretending to be Iranian authorities would try to promise a safe passage through the Strait of Ormuz with a nice exchange at the key. ...
·Brussels, Belgium
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The Strait of Ormuz plunges back into tension after the flight-face of Tehran. Between American sanctions, cryptocurrency scams and imminent ceasefire, uncertainty grows around maritime security...
Coverage Details
Total News Sources58
Leaning Left4Leaning Right11Center6Last UpdatedBias Distribution52% Right
Bias Distribution
- 52% of the sources lean Right
52% Right
L 19%
C 29%
R 52%
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