Pakistani authorities have arrested Faheem Akram, 33, a man accused by US officials of running a counterfeit postage operation that prosecutors say cost the US Postal Service $126 million. The arrest, carried out by Pakistan’s cybercrime agency, was reported by the BBC, which cited US officials.
Akram, identified as being from Khanewal, Pakistan, had been sought by American authorities over an alleged large-scale scheme selling fake shipping labels.
According to the US Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida, as cited by the BBC, Akram operated a website called LabelsBank.com that sold counterfeit US postage at a flat price no matter a package’s weight, size or destination. Prosecutors say the fake labels typically went for about $2 each, allowing buyers to ship packages far below legitimate rates while shifting the cost onto the Postal Service.
A federal grand jury in Florida indicted Akram last month, the US Attorney’s Office said, alleging he sold more than five million counterfeit shipping labels to thousands of customers across the country over several years. Investigators cited by the BBC said more than 5,200 people bought more than 5.1 million labels before the website was shut down.
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 stamp labels, and four counts of wire fraud, according to the US Attorney’s Office account reported by the BBC. If convicted, he could face up to five years in prison on the conspiracy and counterfeit postage counts, and up to 20 years on each wire fraud count.
Earlier this month, before the arrest, the US Postal Inspection Service had offered a reward of up to $100,000 for information leading to Akram’s capture, the BBC reported.
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