Integration methods & API access

SEON offers several integration options for using AML (Anti-Money Laundering) customer screening within its ecosystem, which can support different use cases:

• Fraud API: For the ultimate compliance experience, the Fraud API allows you to integrate fraud prevention and AML operations into a single, unified API. Process all relevant data in one touchpoint, enabling compliance checks and fraud detection within one solution.
• Standalone AML API: Designed for clients who prefer to conduct AML customer screening checks and regular monitoring through a dedicated channel, independent of other operations.
• Entity API: Best suited for sanction and watchlist checks specific to entities, providing focused functionality for these purposes.
• Manual Lookup: For those quick, one-off checks, the Manual Lookup feature in SEON lets you search individuals or businesses instantly without integration. Perfect for ad-hoc verifications.
• Batch Upload: Handle high volumes of customer or entity screenings effortlessly. With Batch Upload, you can process bulk AML checks via a simple CSV file—no coding required.

Visit the Manual lookup & batch screening page to explore how you can instantly screen individuals and entities.

The Fraud API is designed to help businesses reduce fraud and AML risk and ensure compliance with AML regulations. It works by analyzing data about your customers or transactions to:

• Assess fraud risk: Uses machine learning and dynamic scoring models to evaluate the likelihood of fraudulent behavior.
• AML compliance screening and monitoring: Automates customer checks against global watchlists, politically exposed persons (PEP) databases sanctions lists and adverse media sources.
• Payment screening and transaction monitoring: Flags suspicious transactions in real time by analyzing behavioral patterns, risk signals, and AML compliance factors.
• Intelligent decisioning: Provides detailed risk assessments that help decide whether to accept, flag, or reject a transaction or customer.
   

Why integrate SEON’s Fraud API?

• Enhanced fraud detection
  • Detect fraud in real-time before it impacts your business.
  • Reduce false positives, ensuring legitimate transactions are not flagged unnecessarily.
• Comprehensive AML compliance:
  • Automate customer screening, ongoing monitoring, payment screening, and transaction monitoring to meet global AML regulations.
  • Conduct PEP, sanctions, watchlist, and crime data checks with full control over data sources, fuzzy matching, and monitoring frequency.
  • Detect high-risk transactions and unusual payment patterns with built-in AML transaction monitoring.
• Customizable risk & compliance rules:
  • Tailor fraud and AML detection rules to match your business’s risk appetite.
  • Adjust sensitivity levels to balance risk with user experience.
• Data-enriched insights:
  • Access comprehensive customer risk profiles using email, phone, IP, and device data analysis.
  • Improve customer experience by focusing on genuine users.
     

How does the Fraud API work during AML integration?

Here’s a simplified overview of the process:

• Input data: Provide basic information about a customer or transaction, such as:
  • Name and date of birth
  • Email address and phone number
  • IP address
• Setting up API configurations: Define what kind of information you need in the response and configure AML settings for compliance, such as:
  • Fuzzy search  for name variations
  • Data sources for screening (PEP, sanctions, watchlists, crime databases)
    Ongoing monitoring frequency
• Establishing rules and thresholds: Define what Fraud Score thresholds trigger actions (e.g., flagging, manual review, or blocking).
• Processing: The API analyzes this data, leveraging external databases, behavioral patterns and SEON’s machine learning algorithms.
• Output:
  • Returns a Fraud Score (e.g., a number from 0-100) and detailed insights about potential risks.
  • Flags for AML risks if the individual or entity appears on watchlists, PEP databases or crime lists.

The SEON AML Standalone API is designed for businesses that require dedicated customer screening and ongoing monitoring for AML compliance, separate from other fraud detection operations.

Why integrate SEON’s AML API?

• Regulatory compliance
  • Automates checks against global watchlists, PEP (Politically Exposed Persons) databases and adverse media sources.
  • Ensures compliance with AML laws without manual intervention.
• Independent operations:
  • Works as a standalone system, separate from other fraud detection processes, to meet specialized compliance needs.
• Efficiency & accuracy:
  • Provides real-time risk assessments to support decision-making. 
  • Reduces time spent on manual name screening and minimizes errors.

How Does the AML API Work?

1. Input Data: Submit key details about a customer or transaction, such as:

• Name and date of birth
• Email address and phone number
• IP address
• Additional details (e.g., country) for more precise screening

2. Screening Process: The API checks the input against:

• Global sanctions lists
• Watchlists and crime databases
• Politically Exposed Persons (PEP) databases
• Adverse media reports

3. Output:The system returns screening results and hits, including:

• Any matches found in sanctions, watchlists, PEPs or crime databases
• Identifiers and relevancy scores to help assess risk
• Reasoning and insights to support decision-making

Limitations to consider

The standalone AML API focuses solely on individual name screening and does not allow for:

• Advanced, customizable rule configurations
• Comprehensive case management for flagged results

Recommendation
For businesses requiring complex fraud detection workflows alongside AML name screening, we suggest integrating the Fraud API with AML customer screening and monitoring enabled. This provides more robust capabilities for setting rules and managing flagged cases effectively.

The SEON Entity API is a specialized tool designed for businesses that need precise and efficient sanction and watchlist checks specifically for organizations, businesses and other legal entities like vessels and aircrafts. It is ideal for ensuring compliance with AML (Anti-Money Laundering) regulations focused on non-individual entities.

Why integrate SEON’s Entity API?

• Tailored for entity checks:
  • Screens organizations, companies and other non-individual entities.
  • Ensures compliance with global sanctions and watchlists specific to businesses.
• Regulatory compliance:
  • Automates checks against global and regional sanction databases and watchlists.
  • Reduces the manual burden of ensuring compliance with AML regulations.
• Streamlined integration:
  • Operates as a dedicated API channel endpoint, independent of other operations, for focused and efficient processing.

How does the Entity API work?

• Input data: Submit information about the entity.
  • Entity name
  • Registration number (optional)
  • Country (optional) 
• Screening process: The API checks the entity’s details against.
  • Sanction lists
  • Watchlists
• Output: Returns a relevancy score and detailed insights about potential risks, allowing you to decide whether to clear, flag, or escalate for further review.

Limitations to consider

No Individual Screening: This API is exclusively for entities and does not support checks for individuals.

Limited Rule Customization: Advanced case management and custom rules are not supported.

• For individual screening, use the AML Standalone API or Fraud API with AML enabled. 
• For comprehensive workflows, consider the Fraud API with AML features.

Regardless of which SEON integration you choose, the implementation process and key benefits remain consistent across all options.

1. Identify use cases
Determine where fraud and AML risk assessment are critical in your organization. Typical use cases include:

• Onboarding new customers or business partners.
• Payment screening or transaction monitoring.
• Regular monitoring of customer or business entity profiles.

2. Consult with your IT team
Work with your IT or development team to integrate the selected API with your existing platforms.

• Ensure they review the API documentation, determine which data points to share (e.g., name, email, IP, registration number), and customize risk scoring and AML settings to match your business needs.

3. Obtain API access
Contact SEON to create an account and obtain your API license key. This key is essential for authenticating your requests.

4. Integration with existing systems
Work with your development team to integrate the API with your internal systems such as:

• Payment gateways: For transaction monitoring and fraud prevention.
• CRM systems: For monitoring and screening customers or entities.
• Internal dashboards: For managing flagged transactions or entities.

5. Testing and refinement

• Run tests using real and sample data to validate the API’s performance.
• Continuously adjust fraud and AML thresholds based on business, requirements and emerging risks.

6. Monitor and optimize

• Use the Rule engine analytics and reporting tools to track performance and effectiveness.
• Regularly review and optimize your configuration to adapt to evolving fraud tactics and regulatory changes.