NCCIA arrests Khanewal man indicted in $126m US postal fraud case

Registers case against Faheem Akram over alleged sale of 5.1m counterfeit US postage labels

LAHORE:

The National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) Lahore Zone on Tuesday arrested Faheem Akram, a Pakistani national indicted by United States authorities over an alleged online scheme involving the sale of more than 5.1 million counterfeit US postage labels, causing losses exceeding $126 million to the country’s postal service.

According to the NCCIA, Akram allegedly operated the scheme from August 2023 till last month, selling counterfeit shipping labels for around $2 each. The agency cited transactions worth approximately Rs35 billion, while clarifying that the $126 million figure represented alleged losses to the US Postal Service.

A case has been registered and the investigation is under way.

Read: Pakistani national indicted in US over alleged $126m postage fraud

The US Department of Justice had announced on September 28 that a federal grand jury in the Southern District of Florida had indicted Akram, 33, a resident of Khanewal, on charges including conspiracy to defraud the US government, counterfeit postage and wire fraud.

According to US prosecutors, a website, LabelsBank.com was not authorised to sell US Postal Service products and services. It allegedly offered counterfeit postage at a fixed price, irrespective of a parcel’s weight, size or destination, allowing customers to ship packages at rates substantially below legitimate postal charges.

US court records showed that more than 5,200 people had used the website to purchase over 5.1 million counterfeit shipping labels. A court order authorised the seizure and shutdown of the website.

The investigation identified 16 bank accounts allegedly linked to the case, of which seven belong to the suspect, five to his brother, two to his wife, and one each to a sister and maternal aunt.