Skip to content
  • There are no suggestions because the search field is empty.

Centrix SmartID - PEP status “hit” results

How to deal with PEP status "hit" results

When submitting client information to Centrix for a SmartID check, the politically exposed person (PEP) section may return a message: “International Watchlist PEP Status: Hit”.

Essentially, this means that someone with a similar name to your client is on one of the hundreds of watchlists that Centrix uses to determine if someone is potentially a Politically Exposed Person. It doesn't guarantee that this is your actual client.

As a hit doesn’t necessarily mean that your client is a PEP, you will need to take further steps to check the accuracy of the ‘hit’ and clear them if they have been identified incorrectly.

To assist with research, the PEP section of the attached PDF report from the completed SmartID check includes a link you can follow to see why the hit was returned. It will show details such as country of residence, what sources held the exact name, date of birth, and other information to help determine the likelihood that this relates to your client.

You can use this to start determining whether your client is likely the same person on the watchlist or a false positive. By checking the date of birth and/or country of residence, you will hopefully be able to quickly determine whether your client is the match.

We would strongly recommend reviewing your AML/CFT compliance programme and speaking with your compliance officer about the results and next steps. Being a PEP doesn’t necessarily preclude you from having them as a client, but they need to be treated differently, typically having enhanced CDD performed, and this will require sign-off by a senior compliance officer. Again, talk to your compliance officer.

If the result is a false positive, you may want to advise your client, as they will likely be identified by the next organisation to run a PEP check on them.