Quick guide to Global Sanctions Checks

Matt Payne

17 Apr

min to read

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Global sanctions checks are searches of international government databases and are designed to identify people who are prohibited from working in certain roles or sectors. Global Sanctions Checks are often required for compliance, but also provide an extra level of protection and reassurance in all roles, to defend your business from untrustworthy staff.

With all industries and sectors at risk of being exploited for money laundering or terrorist financing, Global Sanctions checks are crucial to comply with AML regulations, Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), Patriot Act and many other international legislations in the UK, Europe, US and worldwide.

Global Sanctions Checks are also necessary to identify PEPs (Politically Exposed Person) or direct family members or associates of PEPs.

There are currently over 1800 international enforcement databases and global watchlists in over 190 countries which are updated every 24 hours, and this number is constantly evolving and changing. The Veremark Global Sanctions check searches the most up to date and comprehensive data from all sources conveniently and efficiently.

The Global Sanctions Check also provides additional verification of UK and global address and contact data, which offers another layer of defence against fraudulent candidates, and helps employers meet their due diligence requirements. Global Sanctions Checks require a candidate’s full name, date of birth and current address, making sure that these details are provided in full will help ensure that the checks are processed efficiently and as quickly as possible, usually within 7 days.

Carrying out Global Sanctions Checks on all staff members also helps to grow an up to date and compliant staff database, and, because all Veremark checks are digital, insights can be used for analytics, marketing and logistic purposes to help drive future recruitment and operational decisions.

Information collected from a Global Sanctions Check can be added to Veremark Career Passports, providing a secure and verifiable record of staff members which can be carried throughout their employment, reducing unnecessary rechecks and highlighting out of date information.

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International employment background checks

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FAQs

What background check do I need?

This depends on the industry and type of role you are recruiting for. To determine whether you need reference checks, identity checks, bankruptcy checks, civil background checks, credit checks for employment or any of the other background checks we offer, chat to our team of dedicated account managers.

Why should employers check the background of potential employees?

Many industries have compliance-related employment check requirements. And even if your industry doesn’t, remember that your staff have access to assets and data that must be protected. When you employ a new staff member you need to be certain that they have the best interests of your business at heart. Carrying out comprehensive background checking helps mitigate risk and ensures a safer hiring decision.

How long do background checks take?

Again, this depends on the type of checks you need. Simple identity checks can be carried out in as little as a few hours but a worldwide criminal background check for instance might take several weeks. A simple pre-employment check package takes around a week. Our account managers are specialists and can provide detailed information into which checks you need and how long they will take.

Can you do a background check online?

All Veremark checks are carried out online and digitally. This eliminates the need to collect, store and manage paper documents and information making the process faster, more efficient and ensures complete safety of candidate data and documents.

What are the benefits of a background check?

In a competitive marketplace, making the right hiring decisions is key to the success of your company. Employment background checks enables you to understand more about your candidates before making crucial decisions which can have either beneficial or catastrophic effects on your business.

What does a background check show?

Background checks not only provide useful insights into a candidate’s work history, skills and education, but they can also offer richer detail into someone’s personality and character traits. This gives you a huge advantage when considering who to hire. Background checking also ensures that candidates are legally allowed to carry out certain roles, failed criminal and credit checks could prevent them from working with vulnerable people or in a financial function.