Web Desk: US authorities have offered a reward of up to $100,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of a Pakistani man accused of running an online counterfeit postage operation that allegedly caused more than $126 million in losses to the US Postal Service.
Faheem Akram, 33, from Khanewal in Pakistan’s Punjab province, was indicted by a federal grand jury in Florida over an alleged scheme involving millions of fraudulent USPS shipping labels.
The US Postal Inspection Service is seeking information that could help investigators locate Akram, whose current whereabouts have not been publicly disclosed.
The Postal Inspection Service has offered up to $100,000 for information that directly leads to Akram’s arrest and conviction.
Authorities have asked anyone with information about his whereabouts to contact US Postal Inspectors at 1-877-876-2455 and request “Law Enforcement.” Investigators said information provided to them would be handled confidentially.
Officials have also warned the public not to approach or attempt to detain Akram.
According to US authorities, Akram allegedly operated LabelsBank.com, a website that sold counterfeit USPS shipping labels at prices significantly below legitimate postage rates.
The website allegedly processed more than 5.1 million fraudulent labels purchased by more than 5,000 customers before authorities seized the domain and shut down the operation.
The Postal Inspection Service said the website was taken over under a federal seizure warrant issued by a US district court.
Court documents cited by US authorities allege that the website offered shipping labels for about $2 regardless of a package’s size, weight or destination.
The discounted labels allegedly allowed customers to send packages through the US postal system without paying the full amount of legitimate postage.
Prosecutors estimate that the alleged scheme resulted in more than $126 million in losses to the Postal Service through unpaid postage and related shipping costs.
Akram faces allegations including conspiracy to defraud the United States, producing and distributing counterfeit postage and wire fraud.
The indictment contains one conspiracy charge, five counts involving counterfeit postage labels and four wire-fraud counts, according to the US Justice Department.
If convicted, he could face up to five years in prison on the conspiracy and counterfeit-postage charges and up to 20 years for each wire-fraud count.
The Postal Inspection Service’s Miami Division is investigating the case.
The allegations against Akram have not been proven in court. He is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
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