Former RBC employee convicted for opening 43 fraudulent accounts and viewing PM Carney's data
Ibrahim El-Hakim, ex-RBC banker in Ottawa, pleaded guilty to fraud, unauthorized computer use, and identity theft. He also accessed Prime Minister Mark Carney's banking profile.
Ex-RBC employee guilty of fraud scheme and unauthorized access to Carney's banking data
A former Royal Bank of Canada employee has been convicted on three criminal charges after opening dozens of fraudulent accounts and accessing the personal banking data of Prime Minister Mark Carney, cp24.com reports.
Ibrahim El-Hakim, who worked at a downtown Ottawa branch, pleaded guilty in August to fraud over $5,000, unauthorized use of a computer, and identity theft. According to an agreed statement of facts filed in an Ontario court, El-Hakim was recruited by an individual he believed "to be associated with organized crime."
Recruited via Telegram
El-Hakim opened at least 43 fraudulent accounts at RBC between November 2023 and June 2025. In late June 2025, he admitted his involvement to an RBC corporate security official, stating he had been recruited through the messaging app Telegram by a person operating under the alias AI WORLD.
"Mr. El-Hakim stated that he participated in the scheme because he was experiencing financial difficulties," the agreed statement reads.
AI WORLD sent El-Hakim instructions and personal identifying information — including names, dates of birth, social insurance numbers, driver's licence details, passport data, and customer profile information — requesting that credit cards be linked to specific accounts. El-Hakim would then transmit banking passwords and other identity data back to AI WORLD.
He received at least $5,000 in compensation: $500 per account, deposited via e-transfer into personal accounts held at other banks.
PM Carney's profile accessed
Shortly after RBC interviewed El-Hakim, the bank determined he had used his work computer to conduct unauthorized queries on customer profiles. On June 17, 2025, he accessed the banking profiles of Carney, former prime minister Justin Trudeau, and one other individual. The Trudeau account accessed "was determined not to belong to the former prime minister," the statement notes.
Surveillance footage showed El-Hakim consulting a smartwatch while accessing the profiles. At one point he was seen taking a cellphone from his pocket, using it, and alternating his gaze between the phone and his workstation screen.
The agreed statement notes that El-Hakim "committed these offences despite having received training in ethics, privacy, security and fraud prevention as part of his employment at RBC."
RCMP: no threat to national security
The RCMP launched its investigation last year following a complaint from RBC. Because the case involved the prime minister, it was assigned to the RCMP's Integrated National Security Enforcement Team in Montreal. RCMP Cpl. Erique Gasse stated in September 2025 that the investigation did not lead investigators to conclude there was any threat to Carney's safety or to national security.
RBC has incurred $14,634 in costs to provide 27 clients with a two-year credit monitoring service following the theft of their identity information.
Sentencing pending
El-Hakim did not appear at a sentencing hearing late last month. His lawyer told Ontario Court Justice Norm Boxall that El-Hakim was no longer in Ottawa. The court has scheduled a new sentencing date later this month.
Source: Google News CA — Crime (EN)