Fake Iranian Officials Extort BTC from Hormuz Ships, One Attacked After Payment

Scammers posing as Iranian officials are demanding Bitcoin or USDT payments from over 20,000 stranded ships in the Strait of Hormuz for fake safe passage, with at least one vessel paying only to face Iranian fire amid ongoing blockades. Marisks first issued warnings on April 21 as fraud exploited real tensions and toll proposals in the chokepoint handling 20% of global oil flows. Scams escalated April 22-23 with fake guarantees sold during attacks, driving Bitcoin's retrace to $75,520 from $77,000+ highs and testing $74,000 support with $78,000 resistance ahead.