Three vessels transited the Strait of Hormuz on April 19. One inbound, two outbound. Windward Maritime Intelligence tracked them all. Pre-war average: 138 to 153. That is a 97 to 98 percent collapse. Approximately 20,000 seafarers are stranded on roughly 2,000 ships in the largest maritime stranding since World War II.
Into this void, someone is running a scam.
On April 21, MARISKS, a Greek maritime risk firm, issued an alert warning shipowners that unknown actors claiming to represent Iranian authorities are sending fraudulent messages to stranded shipping companies. The messages demand cryptocurrency, Bitcoin or USDT, in exchange for "safe passage" through the Strait. The language is specific: "After providing the documents and assessing your eligibility by the Iranian Security Services, we will be able to determine the fee to be paid in cryptocurrency. Only then will your vessel be able to transit the strait unimpeded at the pre-agreed time."
MARISKS stated unequivocally that these specific messages are a scam.
The problem is that they sound exactly like the real thing. Because the real thing exists.
The toll booth that makes the scam work
Since mid-March, the IRGC has been charging ships approximately $2 million per VLCC for transit, accepting Chinese yuan via Kunlun Bank and the CIPS system, or crypto in BTC and USDT. We covered this in our earlier analysis. Iran formally codified the system in its "Strait of Hormuz Management Plan" on March 30-31. Ships submit documents, the IRGC reviews eligibility, clearance codes are issued, and the vessel transits under escort near Larak Island.
The scam mirrors this process almost perfectly. Same document submission. Same eligibility vetting language. Same payment in BTC or USDT. Same safe passage guarantee. A shipowner stranded for weeks, hemorrhaging $50,000 to $100,000 per day in idle costs, watching dark fleet tankers slip through with impunity, has every reason to believe this is the genuine article. The scammers did not invent a con. They photocopied a government.
MARISKS believes at least one vessel that attempted to exit the Strait on April 18 and was hit by gunfire had paid scammers for "clearance" that was never real. The ship presumably entered IRGC-controlled waters without an actual clearance code, and Iranian forces saw an unauthorized vessel. On that same day, the Indian-flagged VLCC Sanmar Herald carrying 1.848 million barrels was fired upon at 09:20 UTC. A container ship was struck by a projectile at 11:25. The Indian-flagged bulk carrier Jag Arnav reported a projectile splash at 12:08. Three incidents in three hours.
oritfx on April 22nd, 2026 at 07:15 UTC »
Someone is trying to escalate the conflict.
Rand_alThor_ on April 22nd, 2026 at 05:54 UTC »
Wow, now that’s a dick move.
alakel5 on April 21st, 2026 at 20:20 UTC »
MARISKS, a Greek maritime risk firm, issued an alert on April 21 warning that unknown actors are impersonating Iranian authorities and demanding cryptocurrency for "safe passage" through the Strait of Hormuz. The scam works because it mirrors the IRGC's actual toll system almost exactly: same document submission process, same eligibility language, same BTC/USDT payment. At least one vessel that paid scammers was fired upon after entering IRGC-controlled waters without a real clearance code. The broader context is that legitimate Hormuz transit has become economically impossible for most operators, with war risk insurance peaking at 5-10% of hull value and marine underwriters refusing to cover the Strait at any commercially viable price. The article traces how the insurance market, not mines or gunboats, has accomplished the de facto closure of the world's most important oil chokepoint.