ISLAMABAD: US authorities are seeking a Pakistani man accused of operating a counterfeit postage scheme that caused over $126 million in losses to the US Postal Service, and are offering a reward of up to $100,000 for information leading to his arrest and conviction.
Faheem Akram, 33, from Khanewal in Pakistan’s Punjab province, was indicted by a federal grand jury in Florida last month in connection with LabelsBank.com, a site prosecutors allege sold more than 5.1 million fake shipping labels to thousands of customers. Authorities have seized and shut down the website.
The US Postal Inspection Service (USPIS), the federal law‑enforcement branch that handles crimes involving the US mail, has now issued a wanted notice for Akram and announced the $100,000 reward. The agency cautioned the public not to attempt to apprehend him themselves.
“We shut down his website. Now we need your help finding him,” US Attorney Jason Reding Quiñones said in a social‑media post on Monday. “If you know where he is, call Postal Inspectors,” he added.
The announcement follows charges unveiled last month by the US Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida concerning a scheme prosecutors say let customers send packages through the US mail system for a fraction of the legitimate cost.
Court records cited by the Justice Department indicate that Akram ran LabelsBank.com, which allegedly sold counterfeit US postage at a flat rate of roughly $2 per label, irrespective of weight, size or destination. The site was not authorized to sell USPS products or services.
Postal inspectors said more than 5,000 customers used the website to purchase over 5.1 million counterfeit labels. By enabling shipments at heavily discounted rates, the operation allegedly deprived the Postal Service of more than $126 million in revenue and shipping costs.
Akram faces one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States and to produce and sell counterfeit postage, five counts of making and selling counterfeit postage labels, and four counts of wire fraud.
If convicted, he could receive up to five years in prison on the conspiracy and counterfeit‑postage charges and up to 20 years on each wire‑fraud count, according to the Justice Department. An indictment contains allegations, and Akram is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
The case is being investigated by the Postal Inspection Service’s Miami Division.
US authorities have not disclosed Akram’s current whereabouts in public statements. The USPIS notice asks anyone with information about him to contact postal inspectors and assures that any tips will be kept confidential.
Arab News reported last week that US authorities had charged Akram and seized the LabelsBank.com domain as part of the investigation.