Court grants NCCIA four-day physical remand of suspect in counterfeit US postage stamp scam

A Lahore court has granted the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) an additional four-day physical remand for the primary suspect in a Rs35 billion counterfeit US postage stamp scam. The suspect, Faheem Akram, and his co-suspect, Naeem, were previously released after a four-day remand expired. NCCIA investigators sought further custody to interrogate the suspects, and Magistrate Naeem Wattoo granted the request. The suspects will be produced in court again on November 3.

The investigation began in August 2023, when Akram allegedly operated a website selling counterfeit US postage labels. According to the US Department of Justice, he was indicted in September 2026 for allegedly selling over 5.1 million counterfeit labels, causing losses of over $126 million to the US Postal Service. The website charged around $2 per label, regardless of weight, size, or destination.

US authorities seized and shut down the website using a court order. NCCIA arrested Akram, a resident of Khanewal, in Lahore. Money laundering is a significant aspect of the case, with 16 bank accounts allegedly used by the suspects and their relatives. Seven accounts belonged to Akram, five to his brother, two to his wife, and one each to his sister and aunt.

NCCIA investigated across multiple parts of Pakistan, forming eight special teams and conducting raids at 35 locations. They employed digital forensic techniques to trace the suspect's movements and identify associates.

Investigators analyzed 122 call-data records, 50 IMEI-tracking reports, and 120 camera recordings. They used artificial intelligence and other modern tools to monitor the suspect's activities. The focus was on tracing the financial trail from the online sales of counterfeit stamps. NCCIA is examining transactions through the 16 bank accounts and determining the flow of funds between accounts allegedly belonging to the suspect and his relatives.

The agency is also investigating the involvement of family members in the operation and the role of others in running the website, processing orders, receiving payments, and distributing counterfeit stamps.