Former RBC Employee Pleads Guilty to Fraud After Accessing Prime Minister's Banking Profile
Ibrahim El-Hakim, a former Royal Bank of Canada employee in Ottawa, pleaded guilty to fraud, unauthorized computer use, and identity theft after opening at least 43 fraudulent accounts. He accessed the banking profile of Prime Minister Mark Carney in June 2025 but failed to appear for his sentencing hearing.
A former Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) employee who worked at a downtown Ottawa branch has been found guilty of fraud over $5,000, unauthorized use of a computer, and identity theft. Ibrahim El-Hakim opened at least 43 fraudulent accounts at the bank between November 2023 and June 2025.
El-Hakim was recruited on the messaging app Telegram by an individual using the alias "AI WORLD," whom he believed was associated with organized crime. He participated in the scheme due to financial difficulties. For each fraudulent account he opened, he received $500 via e-transfer, amounting to at least $5,000 in total compensation.
On June 17, 2025, El-Hakim accessed the customer banking profiles of Prime Minister Mark Carney, Justin Trudeau, and another individual. Investigators later determined that the Trudeau account he accessed did not belong to the former prime minister.
Because the case involved the sitting Prime Minister, the investigation was assigned to the RCMP’s Integrated National Security Enforcement Team in Montreal. Authorities ultimately concluded there was no threat to Carney’s safety or to national security.
The fraud affected 27 RBC clients whose identities were stolen. The bank paid $14,634 to provide two-year credit monitoring services for those individuals.
El-Hakim failed to appear for a sentencing hearing late last month. His lawyer informed Ontario Court Justice Norm Boxall that El-Hakim was no longer in Ottawa. A new sentencing date has been set for later this month.