A serious case of email fraud has been reported in the maritime industry, resulting in approximately $200,000 intended for seafarers’ compensation payments being transferred to the scammers’ accounts.
The scammers infiltrated legitimate email correspondence between crew representatives and a maritime P&I agent. Using fake emails with seemingly correct addresses and signatures, they substituted the recipient’s bank details.
As a result, the funds intended for seafarers’ insurance claims and compensation payments were sent not to the intended recipients, but to the scammers. The loss of funds was discovered only after the transactions were completed.
Experts note that such schemes are becoming increasingly common in the maritime industry, especially where settlements and payments are conducted exclusively via email without additional verification of identity and bank details.
🛡 Important to remember
Any change to bank details must be confirmed via an independent communication channel—phone or video call. Email without additional verification is no longer considered a secure payment confirmation method.