Cyber thugs now keep an eye on ships stranded in the Strait of HormuzImage Credit source: ai generated
Amidst the increasing tension in Western Asia, the movement of commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz has almost come to a standstill. About 20 percent of the world’s crude oil and LNG passes through this sea route. Now cyber thugs have also come into the field to take advantage of this global crisis. Efforts are being made to extort huge amounts of money in cryptocurrency from shipping companies by promising them safe passage to ships stranded in the middle of the ocean.
Vicious fraudsters disguised as officials
According to a report by Greece’s maritime risk assessment firm ‘Marisks’, unknown fraudsters are contacting shipping companies by posing as Iranian officials. These fraudsters are sending messages to companies asking for documents of their ships to be checked. After this, a huge ‘transit fee’ is being demanded in cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin or Tether for safe and hassle-free crossing of the strait. Marisk has given a clear warning to the ship owners that these messages have not been sent by the Iranian administration and it is completely a big scam.
The graph of crimes committed through crypto is increasing rapidly all over the world. According to ‘Defilama’ data, in April 2026 alone, a loss of more than $606 million (about Rs 5,000 crore) has been recorded through hacking and cyber fraud.
One mistake and indiscriminate firing on the ship
Marisk, quoted by Reuters, has expressed fear that some ships may have put their lives at risk by relying on these fake instructions. On April 18, when Iran temporarily opened this sea route with inspection conditions, Iranian patrol boats opened fire on at least two ships. He was forced to change his path. Marisk believes that one of these ships was a victim of this crypto fraud.
Meanwhile, according to LSEG data, about 20 ships passed safely over the weekend, but traffic has slowed down again after the new attacks. The situation became more serious when Iran’s Revolutionary Guard opened fire on a tanker and also targeted a container ship with projectiles. The Indian government has confirmed that both these ships were operating under the Indian flag. Taking a tough stand on this incident, New Delhi has expressed its serious concern to Tehran.
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