The RCMP says a 23-year-old Ottawa man is facing criminal charges for allegedly accessing clients’ banking profiles “for criminal purposes” while working at RBC, including the personal information of Prime Minister Mark Carney.
Ibrahim El-Hakim is charged with fraud over $5,000, unauthorized use of a computer, identity theft and trafficking in identity information, the RCMP confirmed Wednesday.
According to the RCMP, El-Hakim allegedly used RBC’s IT services to access “several” bank profiles without authorization and for “participating in fraud.”
“Mr. El-Hakim is believed to have accessed, among other things, the personal data of Prime Minister Mark Carney,” the RCMP said.
“Further charges may be laid against Mr. El-Hakim.”
RCMP first learned of El-Hakim’s alleged activities in early July after receiving a complaint from RBC.
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According to an RCMP charging document filed in the Ontario Court of Justice obtained by Global News, El-Hakim’s alleged criminal activity took place over two years.
He allegedly defrauded RBC of a total of $68,500 between November 2023 and mid-June 2025.
During that time, the document says, the RCMP alleges El-Hakim possessed RBC bank data and client identification numbers “for the purpose of transmitting or making available or distributing or selling or offering for sale.”
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El-Hakim was arrested on July 10 and released on a promise to appear with conditions, police said. He appeared in court in Ottawa on Aug. 6, with his next appearance scheduled for Oct. 1.
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The investigation has since been assigned to the RCMP’s Integrated National Security Enforcement Team (INSET), based in Montreal.
The RCMP’s INSET teams are made up of federal, provincial and municipal agencies and handle investigations into matters of terrorism or national security. They also handle cases involving major public figures, including the prime minister.
“Our investigation did not lead us to believe there was any threat to the Prime Minister’s safety or to national security in this case,” the RCMP added.
“However, as soon as criminal offences target the Canadian Prime Minister, it is the responsibility of our INSET teams to carry out the investigation.”
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The Prime Minister’s Office said it had no comment at this time as the case is an RCMP matter.
Carney did not answer questions from reporters about the case as he went into question period in the House of Commons on Wednesday.
RBC confirmed in a statement to Global News that El-Hakim was an employee of the bank, but was dismissed due to the allegations.
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“While we cannot comment on specifics of matters before the court, we can share that we independently identified unauthorized system access, took immediate action to engage authorities and the individual named is no longer employed at the bank,” a spokesperson said.
“We worked closely with law enforcement to support their investigation.”
The criminal complaint was first reported by La Presse on Wednesday.
“This is like a classic insider threat,” Terry Cutler, a cybersecurity expert and CEO of Cyology Labs, told Global News.
“Whenever people think, ‘Oh, people are accessing the prime minister’s financial information,’ you’re thinking hackers. But you never think of those who already have the keys and the trust of individuals.”
Cutler added the allegations “kind of creates some doubt and some trust (issues) in the industry,” pointing out that once someone has access to personal financial information, “you can pretty much do whatever you want” with it.
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“If people can go and snoop on the prime minister’s finances,” he said, “what access control do they have in place to know maybe they’re not spying on me?”
In the United States, a now-former employee of TD Bank was charged last year for allegedly stealing customers’ personal information and distributing it on Telegram while working in the bank’s scrutinized anti-money laundering division.
Last year also saw Italy’s largest bank Intesa Sanpaolo apologize for a security breach after a “disloyal employee” accessed financial and personal data of several clients, including Italian Prime Minister Georgia Meloni.
—With files from Global’s Touria Izri
© 2025 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.