{"id":96364,"date":"2026-04-21T13:46:25","date_gmt":"2026-04-21T10:46:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/?p=96364"},"modified":"2026-04-21T13:50:12","modified_gmt":"2026-04-21T10:50:12","slug":"new-bitcoin-extortion-scheme-for-safe-passage-through-the-strait-of-hormuz-uncovered","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/new-bitcoin-extortion-scheme-for-safe-passage-through-the-strait-of-hormuz-uncovered\/","title":{"rendered":"New Bitcoin Extortion Scheme for Safe Passage Through the Strait of Hormuz Uncovered"},"content":{"rendered":"

Unknown individuals are impersonating Iranian authorities, offering ships safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz in exchange for payment in Bitcoin or USDT<\/a>. The Greek maritime risk management company Marksis has warned of this new scheme, reports Reuters<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Experts examined one of the messages sent by the fraudsters to shipping companies. It stated that companies should first provide documents for verification by Iran’s security service.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Subsequently, a transit fee must be paid in cryptocurrency. This supposedly allows for an “unimpeded crossing at a pre-agreed time,” according to Marksis.\u00a0<\/p>\n

At least one vessel may have fallen victim to the scam. It attempted to leave Hormuz on April 18 but came under fire.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Strait of Hormuz Remains Closed\u00a0\u00a0<\/h2>\n

Earlier this month, journalists from the Financial Times, citing oil exporters, reported<\/a> that Iran intends to demand payment in cryptocurrency from shipping companies for passage through the strait. No official confirmations followed.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Later, experts described<\/a> Tehran’s plans as “virtually unfeasible.” They pointed to the ongoing sanctions against the country and the transparency of the blockchain, which could pose problems for Western-registered firms.\u00a0<\/p>\n

On April 17, Iranian authorities announced<\/a> the opening of the Strait of Hormuz. However, the situation changed<\/a> a few days later: U.S. President Donald Trump threatened to destroy all power plants and bridges in Iran if negotiations failed.\u00a0<\/p>\n

In response, the other side indicated it might skip a second round of talks while the United States maintains a naval blockade.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The next meeting between U.S. and Iranian representatives is scheduled for April 22, reports Axios<\/a>. However, the situation remains unstable due to ongoing threats from both countries.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Experts from Bitwise stated<\/a> that the conflict in the Middle East has brought Bitcoin closer to becoming a real means of settlement.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Unknown individuals are impersonating Iranian authorities, offering ships safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz in exchange for payment in Bitcoin or USDT, reports Reuters.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":96365,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"select":"1","news_style_id":"1","cryptorium_level":"","_short_excerpt_text":"Unknown individuals offer ships safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz for Bitcoin or USDT.","creation_source":"","_metatest_mainpost_news_update":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[18,840,1246,26],"class_list":["post-96364","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news-and-analysis","tag-bitcoin","tag-iran","tag-scammers","tag-usa"],"aioseo_notices":[],"amp_enabled":true,"views":"26","promo_type":"1","layout_type":"1","short_excerpt":"Unknown individuals offer ships safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz for Bitcoin or USDT.","is_update":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/96364","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=96364"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/96364\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":96366,"href":"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/96364\/revisions\/96366"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/96365"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=96364"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=96364"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=96364"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}