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Best Practices for Screening Parameters

The effectiveness of your sanctions and AML screening depends not only on the quality of your data but also on how you configure your search parameters. At sanctions.io, we work with a wide range of customers who rely on our smart name-matching technology (API version 2.2+) to minimize false positives while maintaining full compliance. This guide shares best practices we've developed through hands-on experience and is designed to help you set up your screening in a way that's both accurate and efficient.

For more details and setup examples, please refer to our API documentation as well.

Topics Covered

→ Our Name-Matching Scoring Model

→ Screening for Individuals and Organizations

→ Enhancing Search Accuracy with Additional Identifiers

→ Screening for Vessels, Aircraft, and Crypto Wallet Addresses

→ Screening against High-Risk Jurisdictions

→ Screening against Politically Exposed Persons (PEPs)

→ Key Considerations for Tailored Screening

 

Our Name-Matching Scoring Model

Our name-matching technology is designed to minimize false positives without increasing the risk of false negatives.

Every search result includes a Confidence Score between 0 and 1 (1.0 meaning a 100% exact match).

The confidence score is a weighted calculation based on individual field scores from all parameters in the search request.

The min_score parameter filters out results below the chosen threshold.
Recommendation: Start with a threshold of 0.88 and adjust based on your organization's risk appetite.

 

Screening for Individuals and Organizations

Individuals

When screening individuals, a solid starting setup includes:

  • Full Name
  • Date of Birth (YYYY-MM-DD) or Year of Birth (YYYY) for broader scope
  • Entity_Type = "Individual"

Thanks to our advanced matching model, these fields often yield accurate results.

To further reduce false positives, add extra identifiers such as:

  • Country (supports ISO two-letter codes and English country name)
  • Passport IDs

Organizations

Organization screening follows a similar principle: begin with the essentials.

  • Organization Name
  • Country (supports ISO two-letter codes and English country name)
  • Entity_Type = "Entity"

Our algorithm automatically normalizes common legal suffixes (e.g., LLC, Inc.), eliminating the need for manual removal.

Note: If the country value does not match a recognized ISO code or English country name, the parameter will be ignored during screening.

 

Enhancing Search Accuracy with Additional Identifiers

Adding unique identifiers can significantly boost precision and reduce noise. To refine results further, you can use the identifier field in your request to include:

  • URLs
  • Business registration numbers
  • Passport IDs, National IDs

When adding this extra layer of identification, we recommend setting a value in the identifier_match_boosting_threshold (recommended: 0.9).  At this level, a strong match on either the name or the identifier will meet the criteria, enhancing both precision and flexibility. Available only for API calls.

 

Screening for Vessels, Aircraft, and Crypto Wallet Addresses

Beyond individuals and entities, our database supports additional asset types:

  • Vessel names and IDs
  • Aircraft names and IDs
  • Cryptocurrency wallet addresses

Be sure to use the dedicated fields for these searches.

 

Screening against High-Risk Jurisdictions

Screening isn't only about names; the country of residence can also indicate elevated risk. With sanctions.io, you can screen against sanctioned jurisdictions, including:

  • Comprehensive embargoes
  • Sectoral sanctions
  • High-risk jurisdictions (e.g., FATF, FinCEN classifications)

To configure:

  • Use the country field to include your business partner's country of residence.
  • Specify relevant HRJ lists in the data_source field (e.g., OFAC-COMPREHENSIVE, FATF).

⚠️ Note: When screening against High-Risk Jurisdiction (HRJ) lists, a match will be triggered whenever a business partner's country corresponds to one of the listed jurisdictions. In such cases, the alert will display the country name with a confidence score of 1.0, indicating an exact match.

 

Screening against Politically Exposed Persons (PEPs)

Screening against PEP lists adds another important layer to your compliance process. Unlike sanctions lists, a match on a PEP list does not mean the individual is sanctioned. Instead, these lists are designed to help organizations apply a risk-based approach, since PEPs may present elevated risks of involvement in bribery, corruption, or abuse of position.

To configure:

  • Include the PEP short code in the data_source field along with other lists in your screening request.

Key considerations when working with the PEP list:

  • PEPs are not sanctions matches – a PEP hit should not trigger sanctions reporting by itself.
  • Risk indicator – PEP status highlights individuals who may require additional monitoring.
  • Context matters – review the PEP result in light of other identifiers, geographic exposure, and the nature of the business relationship.
  • Due diligence – in many cases, further checks or enhanced due diligence (EDD) may be appropriate.

 

Key Considerations for Tailored Screening

It's important to understand that there is no one-size-fits-all solution. When it comes to setting up an effective screening process, the best configuration depends on your organization's unique context:

  1. Data Quality – Completeness and accuracy of customer data.
  2. Risk Appetite – How much risk your organization is prepared to accept.
  3. Compliance Resources – Human and technological capacity to handle screening alerts.
  4. Exposure to High-Risk Elements – The extent of engagement with high-risk customers or jurisdictions.

A thoughtful balance of these factors ensures your AML and sanctions screening remains effective, efficient, and aligned with your organization's needs. 

Use these best practices as a foundation, then fine-tune your parameters as you learn more about your customer data, your risk appetite, and the level of compliance oversight your business requires. At sanctions.io, we're committed to helping you every step of the way.

 

We're here to help!

If you have any questions or need more help, please contact our support team anytime!

  • Chat: Available directly through the Portal and Help Center

  • Email: help@sanctions.io

 

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