Pakistan’s cybercrime agency has apprehended an individual sought by United States authorities in connection with a large-scale counterfeit postage operation. The suspect, identified as a 33-year-old resident of Khanewal, Pakistan, is accused of orchestrating an illegal scheme that resulted in approximately $126 million in losses to the US Postal Service.
According to prosecutors from the US Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida, the individual operated an online platform called LabelsBank.com through which counterfeit shipping labels were sold to customers across the United States. The operation allegedly began in 2023 and involved the sale of more than 5 million fraudulent labels priced at approximately $2 each. The counterfeit labels reportedly enabled customers to ship packages at substantially reduced rates compared to legitimate postal charges, circumventing standard pricing that typically varies based on package weight, size, and destination.
An investigation determined that more than 5,200 individuals purchased the counterfeit shipping labels during the operation’s duration. Federal authorities have since shut down the website. Last month, a federal grand jury in Florida issued an indictment against the suspect on multiple charges, and earlier this month, the US Postal Inspection Service announced a reward of up to $100,000 for information leading to his arrest.
The suspect faces charges including one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States and manufacture counterfeit postage stamps, five counts related to making and selling counterfeit postage stamp labels, and four counts of wire fraud. If convicted, potential penalties include up to five years imprisonment on conspiracy and counterfeit postage charges, and up to 20 years on each wire fraud count.
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