PEP & Sanctions Screening Help Guide
Realaml’s enhanced Identity Verification (IDV) tools now offer smarter, more targeted PEP & Sanctions Screening – giving you greater control, fewer false positives, and faster compliance workflows.
PEP Screening Is Built Into IDV by Default
Whenever you run a:
✅ Face IDV, or
✅ Quick IDV
a PEP & Sanctions check is automatically included in the background. You don’t need to run a separate check unless you want to do so manually.
You can also choose to run a standalone PEPCheck (see below).
What’s New in Realaml’s Screening Logic?
1. Country-Based Filtering
You now have control over the scope of screening:
Search globally (default) – includes all jurisdictions
Link to residential address only – only flags matches in the customer’s country of residence
Example:
If your customer lives in Canada and a PEP hit is found in Australia:
“Search globally” will flag the match
“Link to residential address only” will ignore it
2. Date of Birth (DOB) Matching
Matches are only shown when the DOB is within ±1 year of your customer’s.
Example:
Your client is born in 1980. A record from 1979–1981 will be flagged; outside this range will be ignored.
3. Stricter Name Matching
Matches now require an 85%+ similarity on both first and last name. This sharply reduces irrelevant matches from common or partial names.
What Is PEPCheck?
PEPCheck screens individuals for:
Politically Exposed Persons (PEPs)
Relatives and Close Associates (RCAs)
Special Interest Persons (SIPs)
Against over 2,000 global sanctions, criminal, and enforcement lists
How to Run a PEPCheck
Step 1:
Go to the Run Checks tab → click the PEPCheck tile.
Step 2:
Select 1–10 customers to check. Optionally, add:
A reference label (for searchability in check history)
Notes relevant to the transaction
Step 3:
Enter:
First Name (mandatory)
Last Name (mandatory)
Date of Birth (mandatory)
Consent is not required. Click Run Check.
Result appears within 10 seconds with an option to download the PDF.
Step 4:
You’ll receive an email notification instantly if the PEP check is part of an IDV.
Understanding Results
Your result will be:
PASS – no match found across global watchlists
POTENTIAL MATCH – at least one match found on name or DOB
What Does a Potential Match Report Include?
Each PEP hit includes:
Full Name
Title
Country
Risk Type
Date of Birth
Images & Links (where available)
How to Interpret Potential Matches
Use these five checks to assess false positives:
Name mismatch: Does the match differ from your customer's full name?
DOB mismatch: Is the date off by more than a year?
Photo mismatch: Compare to the FaceMatch image.
Country relevance: Has the client not lived in the flagged country in the last 12 months?
Domestic PEPs: Some countries (e.g., NZ) exclude domestic PEPs by law.
Example Scenarios
Example 1 – PASS:
No action required.
Example 2 – Match in Domestic Jurisdiction:
If the match is in your own country and your AML law excludes domestic PEPs, no action required.
Example 3 – Strong Match:
All details (name, DOB, risk) align – enhanced due diligence likely required.
Example 4 – Image/DOB Mismatch:
Disprove using photo or DOB mismatch → Approve in history and leave a note.
Example 5 – RCA Match:
Match is to an RCA (e.g., Donald Trump Jr.). Additional due diligence required.
What if My Customer Is a True PEP?
You may be legally required to apply:
Enhanced Customer Due Diligence (EDD)
Senior management approval
Ongoing monitoring
Covered Countries (Sanction Jurisdictions)
PEPCheck scans sanctions and criminal databases from over 240 countries, including but not limited to:
Australia, Canada, UK, US, EU nations, China, India, UAE, South Africa, Brazil, Russia, Saudi Arabia, and many more.
Watchlists Covered (Partial List)
PEPCheck screens against 2,000+ global watchlists, including:
United Nations Consolidated Sanctions List
US OFAC SDN List, Nonproliferation, BIS Entity List, AECA
UK HMT Sanctions List
EU Financial Sanctions List & Most Wanted
Interpol Red Notices
NZ Police Designated Terrorist Entities
Canadian Consolidated Sanctions & Terrorism Lists
Singapore Terrorism (Suppression of Financing) Act List
World Bank Ineligible Firms and Individuals List
And over 1,900 other law enforcement, financial crime, tax, and anti-corruption databases
(A full list is available upon request.)
Need Help or Want a Demo?
Support:
📧 support@realaml.com
Phone:
📞 AU: +61 423 321 383
📞 NZ: +64 4 889 4788
📞 CA: +1 226 741 0268
Book a Live Demo:
🌐 AU/NZ: Book with Jordan McCown
🌐 Canada: Book a Canadian Virtual Demo