Ottawa: Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and several others have been defrauded of more than $68,000 by hackers allegedly in connivance with an employee of the Royal Bank of Canada (RBC). Former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau narrowly escaped the fraud attempt, officials said.
Police have arrested Ibrahim al-Hakim, 23, who worked at the RBC branch near Parliament Hill in Ottawa for three years. Al-Hakim allegedly transferred thousands of dollars from the accounts of several account holders, including Prime Minister Carney, to hackers.
The bank immediately terminated Al-Hakim’s employment after the fraud was discovered and handed over the investigation to the police. The accused has been arrested and will be produced before a judge on Wednesday.
Although the bank initially attempted to keep the incident confidential, the matter became public after court documents submitted by the police were leaked. The Royal Bank of Canada has assured that all affected account holders will be reimbursed.
