Sanctions
Screening against relevant UK and international sanctions information to identify potential matches involving sanctioned individuals.
Global Watchlist & Sanctions Checks: Identify Risk Before You Employ
Speak to the experts
Why Global Watchlist & Sanctions Checks Matter
✓
Most candidates will never appear on a sanctions or international watchlist.
✓
But for organisations operating in regulated, financial, security-sensitive or high-trust environments, identifying the small number who do can be extremely important.
✓
Global Watchlist & Sanctions screening can help identify individuals appearing within relevant international data relating to:
✓
Global data. Relevant information. Better-informed decisions.
What Is a Global Watchlist Check?
A Global Watchlist Check screens an individual's details against specialist databases containing sanctions, politically exposed persons and other relevant international watchlist information.
Checking Your Staff uses Equifax Watchlist Check, which incorporates global compliance information from Dow Jones Watchlist.
The technology uses sophisticated matching processes to help identify potential matches while reducing unnecessary false positives.
This gives employers an efficient way to incorporate global watchlist screening into a wider pre-employment vetting process.
What Can a Global Watchlist Check Identify?
Depending upon the screening profile being used, checks can include:
A PEP is somebody who holds or has held a prominent public function and who may therefore present an increased exposure to risks such as bribery or corruption.
Being identified as a PEP does not mean that somebody has committed wrongdoing.
Again, identification does not itself indicate misconduct.
It provides information that may require further consideration depending upon the purpose of the screening.
Politically Exposed Persons
Identification of potential matches involving Politically Exposed Persons (PEPs).
Relatives & Close Associates
Certain screening profiles can identify relatives and close associates connected with Politically Exposed Persons.
Special Interest Persons
Screening can identify individuals appearing within relevant Special Interest Person data associated with serious or high-level crime and other defined risk categories.
Special Interest Entities
Relevant organisations and entities may also appear within specialist watchlist information.
Equifax Watchlist Screening
Checking Your Staff uses Equifax Watchlist Check as part of our screening service.
Equifax combines specialist worldwide watchlist data with sophisticated matching technology designed to identify relevant potential matches while reducing false positives.
Its screening data includes information relating to sanctions, PEPs, relatives and close associates and Special Interest Persons and Entities.
This provides access to extensive international compliance information through one structured screening process.
Which Sectors Use Global Watchlist & Sanctions Checks?
Watchlist screening can be used across many organisations, but it is particularly relevant where employees have access to money, sensitive information, secure environments, valuable assets or positions of significant trust.
Sanctions and PEP screening can form part of wider AML, financial-crime and risk-management controls.
Screening may therefore be relevant to employees occupying sensitive or higher-risk positions.
Global watchlist screening can therefore form part of a wider security vetting programme.
Checking Your Staff already incorporates appropriate global watchlist screening within our BS7858 vetting service.
Where the contract or risk profile requires additional screening, sanctions and watchlist checks can provide another layer of assurance.
For appropriate roles, global watchlist screening can complement identity, employment and criminal-record screening.
Global sanctions and watchlist screening can form part of a broader vetting programme alongside BPSS and other appropriate checks.
The appropriate screening should always be relevant and proportionate to the role.
Financial Services
Banks, lenders, insurance businesses, payment providers, fintech companies and other financial organisations can operate within particularly demanding financial-crime and regulatory environments.
Professional Services
Legal, accountancy, corporate services and other professional firms may have regulatory, AML or client-driven requirements relating to sanctions and PEP exposure.
Security
Security officers can have access to secure sites, sensitive information, critical infrastructure and valuable assets.
Facilities Management
FM organisations can deploy employees into sensitive client environments including government buildings, financial institutions, data centres, healthcare facilities and critical infrastructure.
IT, Technology & Data
Technology employees and contractors can have privileged access to:
Corporate systems
Customer information
Financial data
Networks
Cloud infrastructure
Sensitive intellectual property
Government Contractors
Businesses supplying employees or contractors into government environments may encounter enhanced personnel-security requirements.
Defence & Critical Infrastructure
Organisations operating within defence supply chains, utilities, telecommunications, energy and other critical infrastructure environments may require more extensive employee due diligence because of the assets, systems and information their personnel can access.
Recruitment Businesses
Recruiters supplying candidates into regulated or higher-risk sectors can incorporate sanctions and global watchlist checks within a wider candidate-screening package.
Senior & High-Trust Appointments
Regardless of industry, additional screening may be appropriate for directors, senior executives and individuals with significant financial authority or access to particularly sensitive assets.
Global Watchlist Checks & BS7858
Global watchlist screening forms part of our wider BS7858 security screening service.
For security businesses, this means the check doesn't have to be ordered and managed separately.
Checking Your Staff can combine appropriate sanctions and watchlist screening with:
Identity verification
Employment referencing
Gap management
Adverse financial screening
Criminal record checks where required
Right to Work
Other appropriate vetting
The result is a more complete screening process rather than a collection of unrelated checks.
Global Watchlist Checks & Financial Services
Sanctions and PEP screening is particularly important within financial services and other organisations subject to financial-crime controls.
However, sanctions screening and PEP screening are not the same thing.
A person appearing on a sanctions list may be subject to specific legal restrictions.
A person being identified as a PEP does not mean that they are sanctioned or that they have committed wrongdoing.
Instead, PEP status can indicate that enhanced consideration or due diligence may be appropriate within the relevant regulatory context.
Understanding the difference is important when interpreting screening results.
Global Watchlist Checks & International Recruitment
Employing somebody who has lived or worked overseas can make screening more complex.
A UK criminal record check doesn't provide a complete picture of somebody's history in every other jurisdiction.
Global Watchlist & Sanctions screening can add an additional layer to international employee vetting.
Depending upon the candidate and role, Checking Your Staff can also provide international criminal record checks on request.
These are different services and can be combined where appropriate.
Why Choose Checking Your Staff?
Global Screening Data
Our screening uses Equifax Watchlist Check, providing access to extensive international compliance information.
Sanctions & PEP Screening
Identify potential matches involving sanctions, Politically Exposed Persons and relevant associated information.
Sophisticated Matching
The underlying technology uses advanced matching techniques designed to identify potential matches while helping reduce false positives.
Fast Electronic Screening
Straightforward searches can be completed electronically and incorporated efficiently into your employee screening process.
Individual or Volume Screening
Use Global Watchlist Checks for individual higher-risk appointments or as part of an ongoing screening programme.
Wider Employee Vetting Available
Combine watchlist screening with identity verification, DBS, Right to Work, employment referencing, financial screening, Social Media Checks, BS7858 and BPSS.
Actual Experts. Real Support.
A potential match isn't automatically a recruitment decision.
Our Global Watchlist Screening Process
1
Request the Check
Submit the candidate for Global Watchlist & Sanctions screening.
2
Candidate Information
The appropriate identifying information is provided securely.
3
Global Screening
The candidate's details are screened against the relevant sanctions, PEP and watchlist information.
4
Matching
Specialist matching technology identifies potential relevant records.
5
Results
Screening results are returned for appropriate review.
6
Review Potential Matches
Where a potential match is identified, the available information should be considered to establish whether it relates to the individual being screened.
7
Wider Screening
Where required, the Global Watchlist Check can form part of a broader employee vetting programme.
A Watchlist Match Isn't Automatically a Failed Candidate
This distinction matters.
Screening systems are designed to identify potential matches.
A candidate may have the same or a similar name to somebody appearing within watchlist data without being that person.
Likewise, appearing as a Politically Exposed Person does not mean that somebody has committed an offence or should automatically be excluded from employment.
Potential results should therefore be appropriately reviewed and considered in context.
Screening identifies risk information. Human judgement determines its relevance.
Global Watchlist Screening Isn't a Criminal Record Check
A Global Watchlist Check and a DBS or international criminal record check perform different functions.
A watchlist check searches relevant sanctions, PEP and specialist international risk information.
A criminal record check searches information available through the relevant criminal-record disclosure system.
Depending upon the position, an employer may require both.
Checking Your Staff can help bring the appropriate checks together into one screening process.
Global Watchlist & Sanctions Checks – FAQs
What is a sanctions check?+
A sanctions check screens an individual's details against relevant sanctions information to identify whether they may match a designated or sanctioned person.
What is a PEP?+
PEP stands for Politically Exposed Person. A PEP is somebody who holds or has held a prominent public function. Their position can expose them to an increased risk of bribery or corruption, which is why PEP identification is relevant within certain due-diligence and financial-crime frameworks. Being a PEP does not imply wrongdoing.
What is a Special Interest Person?+
Special Interest Person data can identify individuals associated with defined categories of serious or high-level crime or other significant risk information contained within specialist watchlist databases. A potential match should always be appropriately reviewed before conclusions are drawn.
Which countries are included?+
Equifax Watchlist Check uses worldwide compliance information and offers screening profiles covering UK and global information. The precise data and lists searched depend upon the screening profile used.
Does the check include UK sanctions?+
Relevant UK sanctions information can form part of sanctions screening. The official UK Government source for current UK sanctions designations is now the UK Sanctions List.
Is a PEP the same as a sanctioned person?+
No. These are different categories. A PEP is an individual who holds or has held a prominent public function. A sanctioned individual is subject to sanctions imposed under the relevant legal regime. Neither term should be used interchangeably.
Is this the same as a DBS check?+
No. DBS checks and Global Watchlist Checks search different information. Depending upon the role, both may form part of an appropriate employee screening programme.
Is Global Watchlist screening included in BS7858?+
Global watchlist screening can form part of the wider checks we carry out within our BS7858 screening service. Speak to our team about the exact screening package required for your organisation.
Can we use Global Watchlist Checks as a standalone service?+
Yes. Global Watchlist & Sanctions Checks can be used individually or incorporated into a wider employee screening programme.
Can you screen international candidates?+
Yes. Global watchlist screening is particularly useful as one component of international candidate vetting. Where appropriate, international criminal record checks are also available on request.
Get In Touch
Phone Number
0333 339 0021Email Address
enquiries@checkingyourstaff.co.ukOffice Address
Checking Your Staff
PO Box 381
Mirfield
WF14 9GB
Need expert screening advice?Our team is here to help.
Speak to an Expert