TABLE OF CONTENTS

• Global Fraud and Sanctions Screening – Overview
• Understanding and Ruling Out Profile Matches
• Search Settings and Configuration
• Search Values
• Name Matching and Match Rate
• Recommended Match Thresholds
• Secondary Filters
• Dataset Selection
• Recommended Configurations
• Data Categories
• Maintaining Data Quality
• Summary and Key Takeaways

Global Fraud and Sanctions Screening – Overview

The Global Fraud and Sanctions Screening service enables organisations to identify individuals or entities connected with financial crime, corruption, regulatory breaches, and international sanctions. It provides an integrated, multilingual search across global watchlists, enforcement databases, and media sources, helping ensure compliance with AML/CFT (Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism) and reputational risk obligations.

Verifile’s dataset includes over 1,000 sanctions and watchlist sources, 300 law enforcement and regulatory agencies, and more than 600,000 profiles from 240 jurisdictions. This breadth enables consistent, repeatable screening across candidates, customers, and business partners, supporting informed, compliant decisions.

Understanding and Ruling Out Profile Matches

When a Global Fraud and Sanctions check is performed, the system identifies potential matches between your candidate’s details and individuals or entities appearing in our databases. A match does not imply a confirmed link—it indicates that further review is required to determine whether it refers to the same person.

Follow these nine steps to rule out or confirm potential matches:

1. Assess the nature of the result – Consider whether the listing would represent a risk if it were your candidate.

2. Check photographs – Compare likeness, age, and other visual clues where images are available.

3. Compare identity documents – Use passports, driving licences, or other verified documents to confirm identity differences.

4. Verify name details – Review spelling, middle names, aliases, and geographical associations.

5. Check the 'Last Updated' date – Confirm whether the candidate’s age or history makes a match impossible at that time.

6. Cross-reference employment history – Verify whether the candidate’s known activity aligns with or contradicts the result.

7. Review source links – Examine references for inconsistencies or contextual mismatches.

8. Request supporting documents – Where available, obtain additional context from Verifile’s support team.

9. Conduct open-source checks – Search trusted public sources to validate or exclude possible connections.

Suppose a result is clearly unrelated to your candidate. In that case, you can remove it by opening the report in the Verifile portal, locating the relevant record, unticking the false match, and saving the final report again. This updates the report status to green and ensures that only valid results remain visible.

If uncertainty remains after completing these checks, escalate the case to your compliance or risk management team for review.

Search Settings and Configuration

The Global Fraud and Sanctions search can be customised to balance accuracy and coverage according to your organisation’s risk appetite. Below is an overview of the available options and recommended configurations.

Search Values

Core search values include first name, last name, middle name, date of birth, and optional address fields. Using at least the candidate’s full name and date of birth provides the most reliable results.

Name Matching and Match Rate

The system uses fuzzy matching to detect similar or misspelt names. Each difference slightly reduces the match rate. For example, 'McAllister' vs. 'McCallister' may score 91%, while 'Jefferson' vs. 'Jeffersen' scores 89%. A match rate of 90% or above is generally sufficient to review with confidence.

Recommended Match Thresholds

The default match threshold is 90%. Organisations with a low risk tolerance may wish to increase this to 95%, while higher-volume screening environments may lower it to 85% to ensure no relevant matches are missed.

Secondary Filters

Additional filters, such as exact first name, middle name, last name, date of birth, nationality, or deceased status, can refine search results. Use these options when false positives are common or when dealing with high-profile name similarities.

Dataset Selection

By default, the system searches across Politically Exposed Persons (PEPs), Sanctions, Financial and Regulatory Enforcement, Law Enforcement, and Adverse Media datasets. Optional datasets include Disqualified Directors and Insolvency Records. Adjusting datasets can help tailor results to specific use cases or jurisdictions.

Recommended Configurations

Here are suggested configurations based on common use cases:

• Standard Screening: First + Last Name, Date of Birth, 90% threshold

• High-Risk or Senior Roles: All name fields, Date of Birth, 95% threshold, apply nationality filter

• Bulk or Low-Risk Checks: First + Last Name only, 85% threshold

Data Categories

The Verifile Global Fraud and Sanctions service consolidates several key data categories to provide comprehensive coverage:

• Politically Exposed Persons (PEPs): Includes individuals holding prominent public functions, their family members, and close associates.

• Sanctions: Covers entities and individuals listed under UN, EU, US (OFAC), UK (OFSI), and other national sanctions programs.

• Regulatory Enforcement: Profiles of individuals and companies subject to regulatory penalties, suspensions, or bans.

• Adverse Media: Information from reputable news sources referencing involvement in financial crime, corruption, or regulatory misconduct.

Maintaining Data Quality

Verifile continuously maintains and updates all datasets using a blend of automated systems and manual verification. Data sources are refreshed regularly, and new global lists are integrated as they become available. Quality assurance processes verify the accuracy, timeliness, and integrity of sources.

Summary and Key Takeaways

This service provides a unified framework for screening individuals and entities against global risk datasets. Use precise search values, apply suitable match thresholds, and follow the structured 9-step review process to determine whether results relate to your candidate accurately.

By consolidating data from multiple international sources, Verifile ensures organisations can meet their compliance obligations and mitigate risk with confidence.

Whilst we take care to ensure this information is accurate, we update articles regularly. If you believe something is incorrect, please use the feedback buttons below to let us know how we can improve.