Identacheck Blog

Service Enhancements and Scheduled Maintenance

2009-04-04T13:21:00.000-07:00

To offer our customers better service, identacheck.com will be down today and tomorrow evening for a scheduled upgrade of it's software infrastructure.

The timing for the maintenance is as follows:

Saturday 4/4/2009 6pm-midnight PST
Sunday 4/5/2009 6pm-midnight PST

Identacheck Increases Server Capacity

2008-09-12T00:02:00.000-07:00

Today we've added two new servers to increase our server capacity for the RiskCheck™ and Riskdex™ services.

OFAC SDNT Designations

2008-08-28T15:47:00.000-07:00

The Office of Foreign Assets Control today revised the OFAC list with new SDNT additions. Identacheck's automated systems have detected and loaded these changes. The updates have also been verified by Identacheck personnel.

The additions include:

KONY, Joseph; DOB 1961; alt. DOB 1965; alt. DOB 1963; POB Odek, Omoro, Gulu, Uganda; nationality Uganda (individual) [SDGT]

RESTREPO ENCIZO, Luz Piedad, c/o GRANJA PORCICOLA LA FORTALEZA, Cartago, Valle, Colombia; c/o MOTEL MOMENTOS E.U., Cartago, Valle, Colombia; Calle 17 Bis. 2N-74, Cartago, Valle, Colombia; DOB 27 Dec 1975; POB Sevilla, Valle, Colombia; Cedula No. 31423447 (Colombia); Passport AH411251 (Colombia) (individual) [SDNT]

SANCHEZ JIMENEZ, Jesus Maria Alejandro (a.k.a. "CHUCHO"; a.k.a. "EL PRIMO"; a.k.a. "SCUBI"; a.k.a. "SCUBY"), c/o GANADERIA ARIZONA, Medellin, Colombia; Calle 11 No. 23-80, Pereira, Colombia; Hacienda Arizona, Caucasia, Antioquia, Colombia; DOB 06 Nov 1975; POB Pereira, Colombia; Cedula No. 10026001 (Colombia); Passport AF400955 (Colombia) (individual) [SDNT]

SANCHEZ RUA, Rafael Angel, c/o ALMACEN Y COMPRAVENTA LOS 3 OROS, Cartago, Valle, Colombia; c/o GRANJA PORCICOLA LA FORTALEZA, Cartago, Valle, Colombia; c/o MOTEL MOMENTOS E.U., Cartago, Valle, Colombia; Calle 17 Bis. No. 2N-74, Cartago, Valle, Colombia; Finca El Encanto, Anserma, Colombia; Finca La Fortaleza, Anserma, Colombia; Finca La Perlita, Anserma, Colombia; Finca La Quichita, Anserma, Colombia; Finca Quiebra de Italia, Anserma, Colombia; DOB 22 Aug 1966; POB Ansermanuevo, Valle, Colombia; Cedula No. 16219873 (Colombia); Passport AF866705 (Colombia) (individual) [SDNT]

VIEDMA ABONCE, Marisol, c/o ALMACEN Y COMPRAVENTA LOS 3 OROS, Cartago, Valle, Colombia; c/o MOTEL MOMENTOS E.U., Cartago, Valle, Colombia; Calle 10B No. 14A-90 Manz. C Casa 14, Cartago, Valle, Colombia; DOB 30 Mar 1970; Cedula No. 31415437 (Colombia) (individual) [SDNT]

The following entities have been added to OFAC's SDN list:

ALMACEN Y COMPRAVENTA LOS 3 OROS, Carrera 7 No. 11-60, Cartago, Valle, Colombia; NIT # 16219873-3 (Colombia) [SDNT]

GANADERIA ARIZONA, Carrera 43A No. 1 Sur-188 of. 903, Medellin, Colombia; Hacienda Arizona, Caucasia, Antioquia, Colombia; NIT # 10026001-7 (Colombia) [SDNT]

GRANJA PORCICOLA LA FORTALEZA, Carrera 22 No. 8-71, Cartago, Valle, Colombia; Vda. La Hondura, Cartago, Valle, Colombia; NIT # 31423447-7 (Colombia) [SDNT]

MOTEL MOMENTOS E.U., Carrera 22 No. 8-71, Cartago, Valle, Colombia; NIT # 900089381-9 (Colombia) [SDNT]

The following deletions have been made to OFAC's SDN list:

ARIAS ESPINOSA ARIES S.A. (a.k.a. ARIES S.A.), Calle 22D No. 34-55, Bogota, Colombia; NIT # 830012619-1 (Colombia) [SDNT]

ARIES S.A. (a.k.a. ARIAS ESPINOSA ARIES S.A.), Calle 22D No. 34-55, Bogota, Colombia; NIT # 830012619-1 (Colombia) [SDNT]

ARIAS JARAMILLO, Diego De Jesus, c/o ARIAS ESPINOSA ARIES S.A., Bogota, Colombia; c/o EXCIPIENTES FARMACEUTICOS EXCIPHARMA S.A., Bogota, Colombia; c/o INVERSIONES ASE LTDA., Bogota, Colombia; Calle 7 Oeste No. 2-207, Cali, Colombia; Carrera 2A No. 7-30 203, Cali, Colombia; Carrera 18 No. 137-43, Bogota, Colombia; Carrera 41 No. 125A-52 Int. 5 ap. 402, Bogota, Colombia; Cedula No. 19241807 (Colombia) (individual) [SDNT]

ECHEVERRY TRUJILLO, Martha Lucia, c/o REVISTA DEL AMERICA LTDA., Cali, Colombia; c/o CORPORACION DEPORTIVA AMERICA, Cali, Colombia; c/o M.O.C. ECHEVERRY HERMANOS LTDA., Cali, Colombia; c/o M C M Y CIA. LTDA., Cali, Colombia; DOB 8 Sep 1956; Cedula No. 31151067 (Colombia) (individual) [SDNT]

ESPINOSA DE ARIAS, Gladys, c/o ARIAS ESPINOSA ARIES S.A., Bogota, Colombia; c/o EXCIPIENTES FARMACEUTICOS EXCIPHARMA S.A., Bogota, Colombia; c/o INVERSIONES ASE LTDA., Bogota, Colombia; Cedula No. 41683460 (Colombia) (individual) [SDNT]

EXCIPHARMA S.A. (a.k.a. EXCIPIENTES FARMACEUTICOS EXCIPHARMA S.A.), Calle 22D No. 34-55, Bogota, Colombia; NIT # 830107839-4 (Colombia) [SDNT]

EXCIPIENTES FARMACEUTICOS EXCIPHARMA S.A. (a.k.a. EXCIPHARMA S.A.), Calle 22D No. 34-55, Bogota, Colombia; NIT # 830107839-4 (Colombia) [SDNT]

GOMEZ BELTRAN, Jorge, c/o LABORATORIOS GENERICOS VETERINARIOS, Bogota, Colombia; DOB 5 Jan 1950; Cedula No. 19091811 (Colombia) (individual) [SDNT]

GUTIERRES CERDAS, Alvaro (a.k.a. GUTIERREZ CERDAS, Alvaro), c/o DISTRIBUIDORA DE DROGAS CONDOR LTDA., Bogota, Colombia; DOB 9 May 1942; alt. DOB 24 Jun 1950; Cedula No. 14966562 (Colombia) (individual) [SDNT]

GUTIERREZ CERDAS, Alvaro (a.k.a. GUTIERRES CERDAS, Alvaro), c/o DISTRIBUIDORA DE DROGAS CONDOR LTDA., Bogota, Colombia; DOB 9 May 1942; alt. DOB 24 Jun 1950; Cedula No. 14966562 (Colombia) (individual) [SDNT]

GUTIERREZ BURAGLIA, German, c/o PENTACOOP LTDA., Bogota, Colombia; DOB 3 Sep 1960; Cedula No. 19439177 (Colombia) (individual) [SDNT]

GUTIERREZ LOZANO, Ana Maria, c/o LABORATORIOS GENERICOS VETERINARIOS DE COLOMBIA S.A., Bogota, Colombia; c/o LABORATORIOS KRESSFOR DE COLOMBIA S.A., Bogota, Colombia; c/o SERVICIOS SOCIALES LTDA., Barranquilla, Colombia; c/o BLANCO PHARMA S.A., Bogota, Colombia; c/o INVERSIONES GEELE LTDA., Bogota, Colombia; c/o INVERSIONES KANTON LTDA., Cucuta, Norte de Santander, Colombia; DOB 22 Apr 1970; Cedula No. 39783954 (Colombia); Passport 39783954 (Colombia) (individual) [SDNT]

GUTIERREZ MANCIPE, Hernando, c/o CODISA, Bogota, Colombia; c/o COMERCIALIZADORA DE PRODUCTOS FARMACEUTICOS LTDA., Ibague, Colombia; c/o MACROFARMA S.A., Pereira, Colombia; c/o MATERIAS PRIMAS Y SUMINISTROS S.A., Bogota, Colombia; c/o TECNOVET LTDA., Bogota, Colombia; Cedula No. 2898335 (Colombia); Passport 2898335 (Colombia) (individual) [SDNT]

GUTIERREZ PADILLA, Clara Ines, c/o ADMACOOP, Bogota, Colombia; c/o DECAFARMA S.A., Bogota, Colombia; c/o FARMACOOP, Bogota, Colombia; c/o CREDISOL, Bogota, Colombia; c/o INVERSIONES DOBLE CERO E.U., Bogota, Colombia; c/o INVERSIONES NUEVO DIA E.U., Bogota, Colombia; c/o INVERSIONES SAMPLA E.U., Bogota, Colombia; DOB 16 Feb 1961; Cedula No. 51583831 (Colombia); Passport 51583831 (Colombia) (individual) [SDNT]

GUTIERREZ PARDO, Elvira Patricia, c/o ADMACOOP, Bogota, Colombia; c/o BONOMERCAD S.A., Bogota, Colombia; c/o PATENTES MARCAS Y REGISTROS S.A., Bogota, Colombia; c/o COMEDICAMENTOS S.A., Bogota, Colombia; Cedula No. 39612308 (Colombia) (individual) [SDNT]

GUTIERREZ PEREZ, Eliana Patricia, c/o ADMACOOP, Bogota, Colombia; c/o CODISA, Bogota, Colombia; DOB 12 Jan 1954; Cedula No. 41631893 (Colombia); Passport 41631893 (Colombia) (individual) [SDNT]

INVERSIONESASE LTDA., Calle 22D No. 34-55, Bogota, Colombia; NIT # 800245987-8 (Colombia) [SDNT]

LOZANO CANCINO DE GUTIERREZ, Maria Gladys (a.k.a. LOZANO DE GUTIERREZ, Gladys), c/o SERVICIOS SOCIALES LTDA., Bogota, Colombia; c/o LABORATORIOS GENERICOS VETERINARIOS DE COLOMBIA S.A., Bogota, Colombia; c/o PENTA PHARMA DE COLOMBIA S.A., Bogota, Colombia; c/o LABORATORIOS KRESSFOR DE COLOMBIA S.A., Bogota, Colombia; c/o INVERSIONES GEELE LTDA., Bogota, Colombia; DOB 19 Oct 48; Cedula No. 41444092 (Colombia); Passport AF673253 (Colombia) (individual) [SDNT]

LOZANO DE GUTIERREZ, Gladys (a.k.a. LOZANO CANCINO DE GUTIERREZ, Maria Gladys), c/o SERVICIOS SOCIALES LTDA., Bogota, Colombia; c/o LABORATORIOS GENERICOS VETERINARIOS DE COLOMBIA S.A., Bogota, Colombia; c/o PENTA PHARMA DE COLOMBIA S.A., Bogota, Colombia; c/o LABORATORIOS KRESSFOR DE COLOMBIA S.A., Bogota, Colombia; c/o INVERSIONES GEELE LTDA., Bogota, Colombia; DOB 19 Oct 48; Cedula No. 41444092 (Colombia); Passport AF673253 (Colombia) (individual) [SDNT]

LOZANO DE GOMEZ, Zilia Helena, c/o LABORATORIOS KRESSFOR DE COLOMBIA S.A., Bogota, Colombia; c/o BLANCO PHARMA S.A., Bogota, Colombia; c/o LABORATORIOS GENERICOS VETERINARIOS DE COLOMBIA S.A., Bogota, Colombia; DOB 18 Oct 1951; Cedula No. 41577886 (Colombia) (individual) [SDNT]

OROZCO NINO, Adriana, c/o COLIMEX LTDA., Cali, Colombia; c/o PROSALUD Y BIENESTAR S.A., Cali, Colombia; c/o ALERO S.A., Cali, Colombia; DOB 1 Nov 1966; Cedula No. 31972596 (Colombia); N.I.E. X2302530-T (Spain); Passport 31972596 (Colombia) (individual) [SDNT]

RAMIREZ LIBREROS, Gladys Miriam (a.k.a. RAMIREZ LIBREROS, Gladys Myriam), c/o LABORATORIOS BLAIMAR DE COLOMBIA S.A., Bogota, Colombia; c/o DISTRIBUIDORA DE DROGAS LA REBAJA S.A., Bogota, Colombia; c/o INVERSIONES MOMPAX LTDA., Cali, Colombia; c/o SERVICIOS MYRAL E.U., Cali, Colombia; DOB 20 Nov 45; Cedula No. 38974109 (Colombia); Passport 38974109 (Colombia) (individual) [SDNT]

RAMIREZ LIBREROS, Gladys Myriam (a.k.a. RAMIREZ LIBREROS, Gladys Miriam), c/o LABORATORIOS BLAIMAR DE COLOMBIA S.A., Bogota, Colombia; c/o DISTRIBUIDORA DE DROGAS LA REBAJA S.A., Bogota, Colombia; c/o INVERSIONES MOMPAX LTDA., Cali, Colombia; c/o SERVICIOS MYRAL E.U., Cali, Colombia; DOB 20 Nov 45; Cedula No. 38974109 (Colombia); Passport 38974109 (Colombia) (individual) [SDNT]

RODRIGUEZ MORENO, Juan Pablo, c/o INVERSIONES RODRIGUEZ MORENO, Cali, Colombia; Carrera 65 647, Cali, Colombia; DOB 30 Jul 1980 (individual) [SDNT]

RODRIGUEZ MORENO, Miguel Andres, Carrera 66 No. 6-47, Cali, Colombia; Carrera 65 No. 6-47, Cali, Colombia; c/o INVERSIONES RODRIGUEZ MORENO, Cali, Colombia; c/o ASISTENCIA PROFESIONAL ESPECIALIZADA EN COLOMBIA LIMITADA, Cali, Colombia; DOB 14 Jul 1977; Cedula No. 94328841 (Colombia); Passport AD253939 (Colombia) (individual) [SDNT]

SUAREZ GARCIA, Dora Angela, c/o G M C GRUPO MAQUILACION COLOMBIANO, Bogota, Colombia; c/o LABORATORIOS PROFARMA LTDA., Bogota, Colombia; Cedula No. 41322501 (Colombia); Passport 41322501 (Colombia) (individual) [SDNT]

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Notice of Scheduled Maintenance

2008-07-21T23:10:00.000-07:00

FYI,

Identacheck.com will be down for maintenance to increase server capacity on the following dates and times:

Wednesday 9pm-12am PST
Friday 9pm-12am PST

New OFAC SDGT Designations

2008-07-17T22:37:00.000-07:00

The Office of Foreign Assets Control today revised the OFAC list. Identacheck's automated systems have detected and loaded these changes. The updates have also been verified by Identacheck personnel.

The additions include:

DEGHDEGH, Ahmed (a.k.a. "ABU ABDALLAH"; a.k.a. "AL ILLAH, Abd"); DOB 17 Jan 1967; POB Anser, Jijel, Algeria (individual) [SDGT]

DJOUADI, Yahia (a.k.a. ABU AMAR, Yahia; a.k.a. "ABOU ALAM"; a.k.a. "ABU ALA"); DOB 1 Jan 1967; POB M'Hamid, Sidi Bel Abbas, Algeria (individual) [SDGT]

GASMI, Salah (a.k.a. "BOUNOUADHER"; a.k.a. "SALAH ABU MOHAMED"; a.k.a. "SALAH ABU MUHAMAD"); DOB 13 Apr 1971; POB Zeribet El Oued, Biskra, Algeria (individual) [SDGT]

HAMMADOU, Abid (a.k.a. ABOU ZEID, Abdelhamid; a.k.a. ABU ZEID, Abdelhamid; a.k.a. ADEL, Youcef; a.k.a. HAMADU, Abid; a.k.a. "ABU ABDELLAH"); DOB 12 Dec 1965; POB Touggourt, Ouargla, Algeria (individual) [SDGT]

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Changes to Blocked Country List

2008-06-27T07:41:00.000-07:00

Yesterday President Bush rescinded OFAC sanctions against North Korea also known as the "Democratic People's Republic of Korea" or ISO 3166 country code "KP".

A second order was issued maintaining restrictions on United States person from registering, obtaining authorization for, owning, leasing, operating or insuring any North Korean flagged vessel.

Identacheck's systems have been updated with the change and our personnell have tested and confirmed these changes.

US Treasury OFAC List Updated

2008-06-19T22:55:00.000-07:00

AL-HARAMAIN ISLAMIC FOUNDATION, P.O. Box 69606, Riyadh 11557, Saudi Arabia; West Al-M'ather Street, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; all offices worldwide [SDGT]

The records removed include:

CGWIC (a.k.a. CHINA GREAT WALL INDUSTRY CORPORATION; a.k.a. ZHONGGUO CHANGCHENG GONGYE ZONGGONGSI), No. 30 Haidian Nanlu, Beijing, China; Moscow, Russia; and all other locations worldwide [NPWMD]

CHINA GREAT WALL INDUSTRY CORPORATION (a.k.a. CGWIC; a.k.a. ZHONGGUO CHANGCHENG GONGYE ZONGGONGSI), No. 30 Haidian Nanlu, Beijing, China; Moscow, Russia; and all other locations worldwide [NPWMD]

ZHONGGUO CHANGCHENG GONGYE ZONGGONGSI (a.k.a. CGWIC; a.k.a. CHINA GREAT WALL INDUSTRY CORPORATION), No. 30 Haidian Nanlu, Beijing, China; Moscow, Russia; and all other locations worldwide [NPWMD]

G.W. AEROSPACE, INC. (a.k.a. GREAT WALL AEROSPACE, INC.), 21515 Hawthorne Blvd., Suite 670, Torrance, CA 90503; California Corporate Number C1458237 (United States) [NPWMD]

GREAT WALL AEROSPACE, INC. (a.k.a. G.W. AEROSPACE, INC.), 21515 Hawthorne Blvd., Suite 670, Torrance, CA 90503; California Corporate Number C1458237 (United States) [NPWMD]

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OFAC Updates SDN List

2008-06-13T10:08:00.000-07:00

REVIVAL OF ISLAMIC HERITAGE SOCIETY (a.k.a. ADMINISTRATION OF THE REVIVAL OF ISLAMIC HERITAGE SOCIETY COMMITTEE; a.k.a. CCFW; a.k.a. CENTER OF CALL FOR WISDOM; a.k.a. COMMITTEE FOR EUROPE AND THE AMERICAS; a.k.a. DORA E MIRESISE; a.k.a. GENERAL KUWAIT COMMITTEE; a.k.a. HAND OF MERCY; a.k.a. IHRS; a.k.a. IHYA TURAS AL-ISLAMI; a.k.a. IJHA TURATH AL-ISLAMI; a.k.a. ISLAMIC HERITAGE RESTORATION SOCIETY; a.k.a. ISLAMIC HERITAGE REVIVAL PARTY; a.k.a. JAMA'AH IHYA AL-TURAZ AL-ISLAMI; a.k.a. JAMIA IHYA UL TURATH; a.k.a. JAMI'AH AL-HIYA AL-TURATH AL ISLAMIYAH; a.k.a. JAMIAT IHIA AL-TURATH AL-ISLAMIYA; a.k.a. JAMI'AT IHY'A AL-TIRATH AL-ISLAMIA; a.k.a. JAMIATUL IHYA UL TURATH; a.k.a. JAMIATUL-YAHYA UT TURAZ; a.k.a. JAM'IYAT IHYA' AL-TURATH AL-ISLAMI; a.k.a. JAMIYAT IKHYA AT-TURAZ AL-ISLAMI, SOCIETY OF THE REBIRTH OF THE ISLAMIC PEOPLE; a.k.a. JOMIATUL EHYA-UT TURAJ; a.k.a. JOMIYATU-EHYA-UT TURAS AL ISLAMI; a.k.a. KJRC-BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA; a.k.a. KUWAIT GENERAL COMMITTEE FOR AID; a.k.a. KUWAITI HERITAGE; a.k.a. KUWAITI JOINT RELIEF COMMITTEE, BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA; a.k.a. LAJNAT AL-IHYA AL-TURATH AL-ISLAMI; a.k.a. LAJNAT IHYA AL-TURATH AL-ISLAMI; a.k.a. NARA WELFARE AND EDUCATION ASSOCIATION; a.k.a. NGO TURATH; a.k.a. ORGANIZACIJA PREPORODA ISLAMSKE TRADICIJE KUVAJT; a.k.a. PLANDISTE SCHOOL, BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA; a.k.a. REVIVAL OF ISLAMIC HERITAGE FOUNDATION; a.k.a. REVIVAL OF ISLAMIC SOCIETY HERITAGE ON THE AFRICAN CONTINENT; a.k.a. RIHF; a.k.a. RIHS; a.k.a. RIHS ADMINISTRATION FOR THE BUILDING OF MOSQUES AND ISLAMIC PROJECTS; a.k.a. RIHS ADMINISTRATION FOR THE COMMITTEES OF ALMSGIVING; a.k.a. RIHS AFRICAN CONTINENT COMMITTEE; a.k.a. RIHS ARAB WORLD COMMITTEE; a.k.a. RIHS AUDIO RECORDINGS COMMITTEE; a.k.a. RIHS CAMBODIA-KUWAIT ORPHANAGE CENTER; a.k.a. RIHS CENTER FOR MANUSCRIPTS COMMITTEE; a.k.a. RIHS CENTRAL ASIA COMMITTEE; a.k.a. RIHS CHAOM CHAU CENTER; a.k.a. RIHS COMMITTEE FOR AFRICA; a.k.a. RIHS COMMITTEE FOR ALMSGIVING AND CHARITIES; a.k.a. RIHS COMMITTEE FOR INDIA; a.k.a. RIHS COMMITTEE FOR SOUTH EAST ASIA; a.k.a. RIHS COMMITTEE FOR THE ARAB WORLD; a.k.a. RIHS COMMITTEE FOR THE CALL AND GUIDANCE; a.k.a. RIHS COMMITTEE FOR WEST ASIA; a.k.a. RIHS COMMITTEE FOR WOMEN; a.k.a. RIHS COMMITTEE FOR WOMEN, ADMINISTRATION FOR THE BUILDING OF MOSQUES; a.k.a. RIHS CULTURAL COMMITTEE; a.k.a. RIHS EDUCATING COMMITTEES, AL-JAHRA'; a.k.a. RIHS EUROPE AMERICA MUSLIMS COMMITTEE; a.k.a. RIHS EUROPE AND THE AMERICAS COMMITTEE; a.k.a. RIHS FATWAS COMMITTEE; a.k.a. RIHS GENERAL COMMITTEE FOR DONATIONS; a.k.a. RIHS HEADQUARTERS-KUWAIT; a.k.a. RIHS INDIAN CONTINENT COMMITTEE; a.k.a. RIHS INDIAN SUBCONTINENT COMMITTEE; a.k.a. RIHS MOSQUES COMMITTEE; a.k.a. RIHS OFFICE OF PRINTING AND PUBLISHING; a.k.a. RIHS PRINCIPLE COMMITTEE FOR THE CENTER FOR PRESERVATION OF THE HOLY QU'ARAN; a.k.a. RIHS PROJECT OF ASSIGNING PREACHERS COMMITTEE; a.k.a. RIHS PUBLIC RELATIONS COMMITTEE; a.k.a. RIHS SCIENTIFIC COMMITTEE-BRANCH OF SABAH AL-NASIR; a.k.a. RIHS SOUTHEAST ASIA COMMITTEE; a.k.a. RIHS TWO AMERICAS AND EUROPEAN MUSLIM COMMITTEE; a.k.a. RIHS WOMEN'S BRANCH FOR THE PROJECT OF ENDOWMENT; a.k.a. RIHS YOUTH CENTER COMMITTEE; a.k.a. RIHS-ALBANIA; a.k.a. RIHS-AZERBAIJAN; a.k.a. RIHS-BANGLADESH; a.k.a. RIHS-BENIN; a.k.a. RIHS-BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA; a.k.a. RIHS-CAMBODIA; a.k.a. RIHS-CAMEROON; a.k.a. RIHS-GHANA; a.k.a. RIHS-IVORY COAST; a.k.a. RIHS-KOSOVO; a.k.a. RIHS-LEBANON; a.k.a. RIHS-LIBERIA; a.k.a. RIHS-NIGERIA; a.k.a. RIHS-RUSSIA; a.k.a. RIHS-SENEGAL; a.k.a. RIHS-SOMALIA; a.k.a. RIHS-TANZANIA; a.k.a. SOCIETY FOR THE REVIVAL OF ISLAMIC HERITAGE; a.k.a. THE KUWAIT-CAMBODIA ISLAMIC CULTURAL TRAINING CENTER; a.k.a. THE KUWAITI-CAMBODIAN ORPHANAGE CENTER; a.k.a. THIRRJA PER UTESI), Al-Andalus, Kuwait; Al-Jahra', Kuwait; Al-Qurayn, Kuwait; Sabah Al-Nasir, Kuwait; Qurtubah, Kuwait; Hadiyah, Kuwait; Al-Qadisiyah, Kuwait; Al-Fayha', Kuwait; Al-Riqah, Kuwait; Al-Firdaws, Kuwait; Khitan, Kuwait; Al-Sabahiyah, Kuwait; Jalib Al-Shiyukh, Kuwait; Bayan Wa Mashrif, Kuwait; Sabah Al-Salim, Kuwait; Al-Rumaythiyah, Kuwait; Al-Salimiyah, Kuwait; Al-Aridiyah, Kuwait; Al-Khalidiya, Kuwait; Al-Dhahr, Kuwait; Al-Rawdah, Kuwait; Al-Shamiyah Wa Al-Shuwaykh, Kuwait; Al-Amiriyah, Kuwait; Al-Nuzhah, Kuwait; Kifan, Kuwait; House #40, Lake Drive Road, Sector #7, Uttara, Dhaka, Bangladesh; Part 5, Qurtaba, P.O. Box 5585, Safat, Kuwait; Number 28 Mula Mustafe Baseskije Street, Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina; Number 2 Plandiste Street, Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina; M.M. Baseskije Street, No. 28p, Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina; Number 6 Donji Hotonj Street, Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina; RIHS Office, Ilidza , Bosnia and Herzegovina; RIHS Alija House, Ilidza, Bosnia and Herzegovina; RIHS Office, Tirana, Albania; RIHS Office, Pristina, Kosovo; Tripoli, Lebanon; City of Sidon, Lebanon; Dangkor District, Phnom Penh, Cambodia; Kismayo, Somalia; Kaneshi Quarter of Accra, Ghana; Website www.alturath.org. Revival of Islamic Heritage Society Offices Worldwide. [SDGT]

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US Treasury Updates OFAC SDN List

2008-06-06T00:33:00.000-07:00

The Department of Foreign Assets Control today revised the OFAC list, adding three individuals suspected of providing financial, logistical and material support to al Qaeda senior leaders.

The revisions include:

ABD AL-KHALIQ, Adil Muhammad Mahmud (a.k.a. ABDUL KHALED, Adel Mohamed Mahmood; a.k.a. ABDUL KHALIQ, Adel Mohamed Mahmoud); DOB 2 Mar 1984; POB Bahrain; Passport 1632207 (Bahrain) (individual) [SDGT]

AL-SUBAIY, Khalifa Muhammad Turki (a.k.a. ALSUBAIE, Khalifa Mohd Turki; a.k.a. AL-SUBAIE, Khalifa Mohd Turki; a.k.a. AL-SUBAYI, Khalifa; a.k.a. BIN AL-SUAIY, Khalifa Turki bin Muhammad); DOB 1 Jan 1965; citizen Qatar; National ID No. 26563400140 (Qatar); Passport 00685868 (Qatar) (individual) [SDGT]

JAFFAR 'ALI, 'Abd al-Rahman Muhammad (a.k.a. JAFFAR, Abdulrahman Mohammad; a.k.a. JAFFER ALI, Abdul Rahman Mohamed; a.k.a. JAFFIR ALI, Abd al-Rahman; a.k.a. JAFFIR, 'Abd al-Rahman Muhammad; a.k.a. JAFIR 'ALI, 'Abd al-Rahman Muhammad; a.k.a. "ABU MUHAMMAD AL-KHAL"; a.k.a. "'ALI AL-KHAL"); DOB 15 Jan 1968; POB Muharraq, Bahrain; nationality Bahrain (individual) [SDGT

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United States Identifies 42 Foreign Terrorist Organizations

2008-05-04T11:31:00.000-07:00

The U.S. Department of State has released it's yearly Country Reports on Terrorism. In this report they sited the following as terrorist organizations:

Abu Nidal Organization (ANO)
Abu Sayyaf Group
Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade
Ansar al-Sunnah
Armed Islamic Group (GIA)
Asbat al-Ansar
Aum
Shinrikyo
Basque Fatherland and Liberty (ETA)
Communist Party of
Philippines/New People's Army (CPP/NPA)
Continuity Irish Republican Army
(CIRA)
Gama'a al-Islamiyya (IG)
HAMAS
Harakat ul-Mujahadin (HUM)
Hizballah
Islamic Jihad Group (IJG)
Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan
(IMU)
Jaish-e-Mohammed (JEM)
Jemaah Islamiya Organization (JI)
Al-Jihad
Kahane Chai (Kach)
Kongra-Gel (formerly Kurdistan Worker’s
Party (PKK))
Lashkar e-Tayyiba
Lashkar i Jhangvi (LJ)
Liberation
Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE)
Libyan Islamic Fighting Group (LIFG)
Moroccan Islamic Combatant Group (GICM)
Mujahadin-e Khalq Organization
(MEK)
National Liberation Army (ELN)
Palestine Liberation Front (PLF)
Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ)
Popular Front for the Liberation of
Palestine (PFLP)
Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine-General
Command (PFLP-GC)
Al-Qa’ida
Al-Qa’ida in Iraq
Al-Qa’ida in the
Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) [Formerly Salafist Group for Call and Combat (GSPC)]
Real IRA (RIRA)
Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC)
Revolutionary Nuclei (RN)
Revolutionary Organization 17 November (17N)
Revolutionary People's Liberation Party/Front (DHKP/C)
Shining Path (SL)
United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia (AUC)

Identacheck website enhancements

2008-03-31T22:46:00.001-07:00

Identacheck LLC today updated it's website.

Some of the changes include:

Increase compatibility with the latest generation web browsers utilizing XHTML
Maximize screen real-estate, providing better usability and readability
Simplified menu navigation for the RiskCheck™ service
Added RSS feed link
Added Identacheck's Blogger link
RiskCheck™ will now sort hits by score

For a limited time we are offering a FREE 6-MONTH trial of RiskCheck™, our service for OFAC, Patriot Act, CIP, BSA, AML, EDD screening.

Sign up takes moments and you can begin using the service immediately!

OFAC Updates the SDN List

2008-03-19T21:06:00.000-07:00

The US Department of the Treasury's OFAC office has added the following persons and/or organizations to the SDN list:

AL-SHABAAB (a.k.a. AL-SHABAAB AL-ISLAAM; a.k.a. AL-SHABAAB AL-ISLAMIYA; a.k.a. AL-SHABAAB AL-JIHAAD; a.k.a. AL-SHABAB; a.k.a. HARAKAT SHABAB AL-MUJAHIDIN; a.k.a. HISB'UL SHABAAB; a.k.a. HIZBUL SHABAAB; a.k.a. MUJAHIDEEN YOUTH MOVEMENT; a.k.a. MUJAHIDIN AL-SHABAAB MOVEMENT; a.k.a. MUJAHIDIN YOUTH MOVEMENT; a.k.a. "MYM"; a.k.a. "THE UNITY OF ISLAMIC YOUTH"; a.k.a. "THE YOUTH"; a.k.a. "YOUTH WING"), Somalia [FTO] [SDGT]

To be assured of a compliance program that keeps an accurate and up-to-date accounting of watch-lists such as this. Subscribe to Identacheck's RiskCheck™ service for free today.

HM Treasury Updates the UN Consolidated List

2008-03-08T12:23:00.000-08:00

On March 5, 2008 the UN Security Council amended it's Consolidated List that is maintained by the 1267 Committee.

OFAC Removes 4 Entries from SND List

2008-03-04T22:19:00.000-08:00

The US Department of the Treasury's OFAC office has removed the following persons and/or organizations to the SDN list:

AVENDANO GUTIERREZ, Francisco Eduardo, Carrera 8 No. 66-21 apt. 204, Bogota, Colombia; Transversal 1A No. 69-54 apt. 502, Bogota, Colombia; c/o LABORATORIOS GENERICOS VETERINARIOS, Bogota, Colombia; c/o CONSTRUCCIONES AVENDANO GUTIERREZ Y CIA. LTDA., Bogota, Colombia; DOB 3 Jul 1960; Cedula No. 16645182 (Colombia) (individual) [SDNT]

SRBSKE SUME (a.k.a. SRPSKA SUME; a.k.a. SRPSKE SUME: STATE FORESTRY COMPANY (REPUBLIKA SRPSKA)), Sokolac, Bosnia and Herzegovina [BALKANS]

SRPSKA SUME (a.k.a. SRBSKE SUME; a.k.a. SRPSKE SUME: STATE FORESTRY COMPANY (REPUBLIKA SRPSKA)), Sokolac, Bosnia and Herzegovina [BALKANS]

SRPSKE SUME: STATE FORESTRY COMPANY (REPUBLIKA SRPSKA) (a.k.a. SRBSKE SUME; a.k.a. SRPSKA SUME), Sokolac, Bosnia and Herzegovina [BALKANS]

To be assured of a compliance program that keeps an accurate and up-to-date accounting of watch-lists such as this. Subscribe to Identacheck's RiskCheck™ service for free today.

OFAC Enforcements for 2007, an Analysis

2008-03-03T20:25:00.000-08:00

As many of you know, the OFAC department of the US Treasury publishes a list of civil penalties and enforcements pursuant to the Code of Federal Regulations. For the year 2007 there were 12 such publications in PDF format and so I decided to review each file and perform some analysis on the listing.

Google, provides a free service called "Google Docs" for my analysis I used the spreadsheet functionality of Google Docs and have published the document and made it available to all below.

The top 10 settlements or fines for that year were all above $100,000. The largest settlement was against Chevron Inc for $2 million and was part of a $30 million (!) multi-agency settlement for violating the Oil-for-Food program.

Total settlements or fines for that year reached $4,344,586 from the 56 enforcements published. These enforcements affected various forms of industry such as:

Oil Companies
Travel Agencies
Banks
Medical Equipment Providers
International Consultants

and underpins the need for global organizations to have a solid compliance program to help meet federal regulatory requirements.

Identacheck is now currently offering a 6 month free trial of RiskCheck™. RiskCheck™ is a service that automatically monitors key watch-lists and allows you to perform over-the-web searches against perspective client accounts.

Google Docs Spreadsheet: OFAC Enforcements for 2007

OFAC Updates SDGT Designations

2008-02-28T21:16:00.000-08:00

The US Department of the Treasury's OFAC office has added the following persons and/or organizations to the SDN list:

AL MAZIDIH, Akram Turki Hishan (a.k.a. AL-HISHAN, Akram Turki; a.k.a. AL-MAZIDIH, Akram Turki Hishan; a.k.a. "ABU AKRAM"; a.k.a. "ABU JARRAH"), Zabadani, Syria; DOB 1974; alt. DOB 1975; alt. DOB 1979 (individual) [SDGT]

AL MAZIDIH, Badran Turki Hishan (a.k.a. ABU GHADIYAH; a.k.a. AL MEZIDI, Badran Turki Hishan; a.k.a. AL-MAZIDIH, Badran Turki al-Hishan; a.k.a. AL-SHA'BANI, Badran Turki Hisham al-Mazidih; a.k.a. AL-TURKI, Badran; a.k.a. HISHAM, Badran al-Turki; a.k.a. HISHAN, Badran Turki; a.k.a. SHALASH, Badran Turki Hayshan; a.k.a. "ABU 'ABDALLAH"; a.k.a. "ABU ABDULLAH"; a.k.a. "ABU 'AZZAM"), Zabadani, Syria; DOB 1977; alt. DOB 1978; alt. DOB 1979; POB Mosul, Iraq (individual) [SDGT]

AL MAZIDIH, Ghazy Fezza Hishan (a.k.a. HISHAN, Ghazy Fezzaa; a.k.a. "ABU FAYSAL"; a.k.a. "ABU GHAZZY"; a.k.a. "SHLASH, Mushari Abd Aziz Saleh"), Zabadani, Syria; DOB 1974; alt. DOB 1975 (individual) [SDGT]

AL-MARSUMI, Saddah Jaylut (a.k.a. AL-MARSUMI, Sa'da Jalut Hassam; a.k.a. JALOUD, Sa'daa; a.k.a. JALOUT, Saddaa), As Susah Village, Syria; Baghuz, Syria; Al Shajlah Village, Syria; DOB 1955; alt. DOB 1956; citizen Syria (individual) [SDGT]

To be assured of a compliance program that keeps an accurate and up-to-date accounting of watch-lists such as this. Subscribe to Identacheck's RiskCheck™ service for free today.

OFAC Updates Burmese Sanctions

2008-02-27T20:58:00.000-08:00

The US Department of the Treasury's OFAC office has added the following persons and/or organizations to the SDN list:

G A ARDMORE PTE. LTD., 3 Shenton Way, #10-01 Shenton House, Singapore 068805, Singapore [BURMA]

G A CAPITAL PTE. LTD., 3 Shenton Way, #10-01 Shenton House, Singapore 068805, Singapore [BURMA]

G A FOODSTUFFS PTE. LTD., 3 Shenton Way, #10-01 Shenton House, Singapore 068805, Singapore [BURMA]

G A LAND PTE. LTD., 3 Shenton Way, #10-01 Shenton House, Singapore 068805, Singapore [BURMA]

G A RESORT PTE. LTD., 3 Shenton Way, #10-01 Shenton House, Singapore 068805, Singapore [BURMA]

G A SENTOSA PTE. LTD., 3 Shenton Way, #10-01 Shenton House, Singapore 068805, Singapore [BURMA]

G A TREASURE PTE. LTD., 3 Shenton Way, #10-01 Shenton House, Singapore 068805, Singapore [BURMA]

G A WHITEHOUSE PTE. LTD., 3 Shenton Way, #10-01 Shenton House, Singapore 068805, Singapore [BURMA]

GOLDEN AARON PTE. LTD., 3 Shenton Way, #10-01 Shenton House, Singapore 068805, Singapore [BURMA]

S H NG TRADING, 3 Shenton Way, #10-01 Shenton House, Singapore 068805, Singapore [BURMA]

Did you know that Identacheck automatically indexes names such as "G A CAPITOL PTE LTD" into variations such as "G A CAPITOL PRIVATE LTD", "G A CAPITOL PRIVATE LIMITED" and "G A CAPITOL PTE LIMITED" which may provide you a hit that competitors may not catch?

To be assured of a compliance program that keeps an accurate and up-to-date accounting of watch-lists such as this. Subscribe to Identacheck's RiskCheck™ service for free today.

OFAC SDN List Updated

2008-02-26T19:29:00.000-08:00

The US Department of the Treasury's OFAC office has added the following persons and/or organizations to the SDN list:

LAW, Steven (a.k.a. CHUNG, Lo Ping; a.k.a. HALIM, Abdul; a.k.a. LAW, Stephen; a.k.a. LO, Ping Han; a.k.a. LO, Ping Hau; a.k.a. LO, Ping Zhong; a.k.a. LO, Steven; a.k.a. NAING, Htun Myint; a.k.a. NAING, Tun Myint; a.k.a. NAING, U Myint), 8A Jalan Teliti, Singapore, Singapore; 3 Shenton Way, #10-01 Shenton House, Singapore 068805, Singapore; No. 124 Insein Road, Ward (9), Hlaing Township, Rangoon, Burma; 61-62 Bahosi Development Housing, Wadan St., Lanmadaw Township, Rangoon, Burma; 330 Strand Rd., Latha Township, Rangoon, Burma; DOB 16 May 1958; alt. DOB 27 Aug 1960; POB Lashio, Burma; citizen Burma; Passport 937174 (Burma) (individual) [BURMA]

LO, Hsing Han (a.k.a. LAW, Hsit-han; a.k.a. LO, Hsin Han; a.k.a. LO, Hsing-han), 60-61 Strand Rd., Latha Township, Rangoon, Burma; 20-23 Masoeyein Kyang St., Mayangone, Rangoon, Burma; 20B Massoeyein St., 9 Mile, Rangoon, Burma, Burma; 330 Strand Rd, Latha Township, Rangoon, Burma; 20 Wingabar Rd, Rangoon, Burma; 36 19th St., Lower Blk, Latha Township, Rangoon, Burma; 47 Latha St., Latha Township, Rangoon, Burma; 152 Sule Pagoda Rd, Rangoon, Burma; 126A Damazedi Rd, Bahan Township, Rangoon, Burma; DOB 1938; alt. DOB 1935 (individual) [BURMA]

NG, Sor Hong (a.k.a. LAW, Cecilia; a.k.a. LO, Cecilia; a.k.a. NG, Cecilia; a.k.a. NG, Cecilia), 3 Shenton Way, #10-01 Shenton House, Singapore 068805, Singapore; 150 Prince Charles Crescent, #18-03, Singapore 159012, Singapore; DOB 1958; citizen Singapore; Identification Number S1481823E (Singapore); Chief Executive, Managing Director, and Owner, Golden Aaron Pte. Ltd., Singapore; Director and Owner, G A Ardmore Pte. Ltd., Singapore; Chief Executive, Director and Owner, G A Capital Pte. Ltd., Singapore; Director and Owner, G A Foodstuffs Pte. Ltd., Singapore; Chief Executive, Director and Owner, G A Land Pte. Ltd., Singapore; Director and Owner, G A Resort Pte. Ltd., Singapore; Chief Executive, Director and Owner, G A Sentosa Pte. Ltd., Singapore; Chief Executive, Director and Owner, G A Treasure Pte. Ltd., Singapore; Director and Owner, G A Whitehouse Pte. Ltd., Singapore; Chief Executive, Manager, and Owner, S H Ng Trading Pte. Ltd., Singapore (individual) [BURMA]

The following entities have been added to OFAC's SDN list:

ASIA LIGHT CO. LTD., 15/19 Kunjan Rd., S Aung San Std, Rangoon, Burma; Mingalar Taung Nyunt Tower, 6 Upper Pansoden Street, Aung San Stadium Eastern Wing, Rangoon, Burma [BURMA]

ASIA WORLD CO. LTD. (a.k.a. ASIA WORLD), 61-62 Bahosi Development Housing, Wadan St., Lanmadaw Township, Rangoon, Burma [BURMA]

ASIA WORLD INDUSTRIES LTD., No. 21/22 Upper Pansodan St., Aung San Stadium (East Wing), Mingalar Taung Nyunt, Rangoon, Burma [BURMA]

ASIA WORLD PORT MANAGEMENT CO. LTD (a.k.a. ASIA WORLD PORT MANAGEMENT; a.k.a. "PORT MANAGEMENT CO. LTD."), 61-62 Wartan St, Bahosi Yeiktha, Rangoon, Burma [BURMA]

AUREUM PALACE HOTELS AND RESORTS (a.k.a. AUREUEM PALACE HOTEL AND RESORT (BAGAN); a.k.a. AUREUEM PALACE HOTEL AND RESORT (NGAPALI); a.k.a. AUREUM PALACE HOTEL AND RESORT (NGWE SAUNG); a.k.a. AUREUM PALACE HOTEL AND RESORT GROUP CO. LTD.; a.k.a. AUREUM PALACE HOTEL RESORT; a.k.a. AUREUM PALACE RESORTS; a.k.a. AUREUM PALACE RESORTS AND SPA), No. 41 Shwe Taung Gyar Street, Bahan Township, Yangon, Burma; Thandwe, Rakhine , Burma [BURMA]

MYANMAR TREASURE RESORTS (a.k.a. MYANMAR TREASURE BEACH RESORT; a.k.a. MYANMAR TREASURE BEACH RESORTS; a.k.a. MYANMAR TREASURE RESORT (BAGAN); a.k.a. MYANMAR TREASURE RESORT (PATHEIN); a.k.a. "MYANMAR TREASURE RESORT II"), No. 41 Shwe Taung Gyar Street, Bahan Township, Yangon, Burma; No 56 Shwe Taung Gyar Road , Golden Valley, Bahan Township, Yangon, Burma [BURMA]

To be assured of a compliance program that keeps an accurate and up-to-date accounting of watch-lists such as this. Subscribe to Identacheck's RiskCheck™ service for free today.

OFAC List Updated

2008-02-24T22:11:00.000-08:00

The US Department of the Treasury's OFAC office has added the following persons and/or organizations to the SDN list:

MAKHLUF, Rami (a.k.a. MAKHLOUF, Rami; a.k.a. MAKHLOUF, Rami Bin Mohammed; a.k.a. MAKHLOUF, Rami Mohammad); DOB 10 Jul 1969; POB Syria; citizen Syria; Passport 98044 (Syria) (individual) [SYRIA]

SALAFIST GROUP FOR CALL AND COMBAT (a.k.a. GSPC; a.k.a. LE GROUPE SALAFISTE POUR LA PREDICATION ET LE COMBAT; a.k.a. SALAFIST GROUP FOR PREACHING AND COMBAT) [FTO] [SDGT] -to- SALAFIST GROUP FOR CALL AND COMBAT (a.k.a. AL-QA'IDA IN THE ISLAMIC MAGHREB; a.k.a. AQIM; a.k.a. GSPC; a.k.a. LE GROUPE SALAFISTE POUR LA PREDICATION ET LE COMBAT; a.k.a. SALAFIST GROUP FOR PREACHING AND COMBAT; a.k.a. TANZIM AL-QA'IDA FI BILAD AL-MAGHRIB AL-ISLAMIYA) [FTO] [SDGT]

According to OFAC, Makhluf is a:

powerful Syrian businessman who amassed his commercial empire by exploiting his relationships with Syrian regime members. Makhluf has manipulated the Syrian judicial system and used Syrian intelligence officials to intimidate his business rivals. He employed these techniques when trying to acquire exclusive licenses to represent foreign companies in Syria and to obtain contract awards.
Makhluf's influence with certain Syrian government officials has led to his being able to control the issuance of certain types of profitable commodities contracts. His close business associations with some Syrian cabinet ministers have enabled him to gain access to lucrative oil exploration and power plant projects.

To be assured of a compliance program that keeps an accurate and up-to-date accounting of watch-lists such as this. Subscribe to Identacheck's RiskCheck™ service for free today.

A well rounded compliance program

2006-10-04T21:28:00.000-07:00

In 2005 Ernst & Young released an article titled "No Room for Error: The AML War Heats Up" which details the fight financial firms face against terrorism and money laundering. The article starts out with a compelling statement:

Today, virtually all providers of financial services remain vulnerable to money laundering and terrorist financing schemes. As a result, they continue to be exposed to reputational, compliance, and operational risk.

To reinforce this statement, the article details the beginnings of the Bank Secrecy Act (BSA) back in 1970 and the subsequent regulations imposed by various government agencies culminating in the broadened rules and authority of the Patriot Act in 2001. These regulations impact industries ranging from mutual funds, charitable organizations to even those in the real estate market. The list, though comprehensive, is far from complete - especially when you take into account that many financial organizations these days are global and possibly bound by foreign regulations.

One interesting tidbit from the article states that regulatory agencies desire financial organizations to implement "proactive" measures such as data mining technology when executing their compliance programs. As a person of technical interests and as owner of Identacheck LLC, I can tell you that this is no small feat! How can regulatory agencies expect financial firms to be so proactive when the standards for compliance vary between laws, regulations, legal red-tape and technical jargon? Just what defines a well-rounded compliance program?

Herbert A. Biern testified before the Committee on International Relations that, at a minimum, financial institutions must implement 4 key components to comply with the major U.S. regulations:

A system of internal controls to assume ongoing compliance. This would include a document detailing the organization's compliance program as well as actually implementing the program which may include a process of checking clients against various regulatory lists for possible sanctioned and AML activity.
Independent testing of the organization's compliance.
Designation of an individual responsible for coordinating and monitoring day-t0-day compliance.
Training for appropriate personnel.

It sounds like a lot of work but it doesn't have to be. Many firms such as identacheck.com offer services that help companies implement a solid compliance program. From personal experience the following guidelines should provide a good baseline for such a program:

Know your Customer (KYC) - Many government and financial agencies publish lists of persons and organizations that you should not do business with. These lists are usually available in a data format that can be downloaded and integrated into your database. The Identacheck RiskCheck page includes information regarding these lists. If you are in a bind to implement an interim compliance solution, one good tip is to use google.com site search feature. To do this, first identify the website you wish to search such as "www.ustreas.gof/ofac" and then perform a search against the site along with the person or organization you wish to research. Here's an example searching for "bin laden":

site:www.ustreas.gov/ofac "bin laden"

Just be aware that this may be a lot of manual work, especially so when you take into account that these list CHANGE FREQUENTLY. This implies that not only should you keep your version of the list up-to-date but also that you should re-check existing clients on a regular basis.
Document Everything - Many regulations require that you maintain records on all aspects of your dealings with the customer. This serves as proof that the compliance program is enforced and mitigates risk of lengthy government investigations and possible fines.
Verify, Freeze & Report - In the adverse event that you DO find an individual or organization that you believe is suspicious. Dig deeper. Use tools such as the Google.com search engine, news sites (Factiva, Highbeam and Keep Media are good ones) and discussion groups (BankersOnline.com has an active discussion board). Once you believe you have a "hard hit" (a true match) - immediately freeze the account including all funds and report the activity to the government agency the list is located on.

I hope you find this information useful, if you have any questions or comments - please feel free to email me at identacheck@ureach.com!

LINKS:
AML War Heats Up - Ernst & Young Banking
Testimony of Herbert A. Biern
OCC Advisory Regarding Electronic Record Keeping

Does the Treasury Department's Designation of a Terrorist Financier Make a Difference?

2006-09-20T14:30:00.000-07:00

A very interesting read regarding the reach of the OFAC sanctions programs.