The National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) has arrested a man accused of running a counterfeit postage operation that allegedly caused losses of more than $126 million (around Rs35 billion) to the United States Postal Service (USPS).
Faheem Akram, 33, a resident of Khanewal, was indicted by a federal grand jury in Florida last month over his alleged role in LabelsBank.com, a website that US prosecutors say sold more than 5.1 million counterfeit shipping labels to thousands of customers.
American authorities have seized and shut down the website, while the US Postal Inspection Service issued a wanted notice for Akram and announced a reward of up to $100,000 (about Rs27.7 million) for information leading to his arrest and conviction.
The NCCIA announced the arrest on Tuesday, saying its team traced him through a 10-day operation in which 47 people were questioned and 122 call records were analysed.
“The accused had been selling fake stamps through a fraudulent website since 2023,” the agency said in a statement.
The NCCIA also alleged that 16 bank accounts belonging to Akram’s family members were used to facilitate the operation. It did not say where or in what circumstances he was arrested.
“A case has been registered and further investigation is under way,” the agency said, adding that it follows a zero-tolerance policy against cybercrime and digital fraud.
According to US court records cited by the Department of Justice, LabelsBank.com allegedly sold counterfeit postage labels at a flat price, usually $2 per label, regardless of the package’s weight, size or destination. The website did not have authorisation to sell USPS products or services.
Postal inspectors said over 5,000 customers bought more than 5.1 million counterfeit labels through the site. The scheme allowed parcels to be shipped at heavily discounted rates, costing the postal service over $126 million in lost revenue and shipping costs.
Akram faces one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States and to make and sell counterfeit postage stamps, five counts of making and selling counterfeit postage labels, and four counts of wire fraud.
If convicted, he faces up to five years in prison on the conspiracy and counterfeit-postage counts, and up to 20 years on each wire-fraud count, according to the Justice Department.
