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The Individual Adverse Media Screening check searches for negative news articles, media coverage, and online content associated with an individual. This check helps identify reputational risks, criminal activities, and other adverse information.

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Overview

The check examines:
  • Criminal convictions and charges
  • Fraud and financial crimes
  • Regulatory enforcement actions
  • Civil litigation
  • Corruption and bribery allegations
  • Money laundering connections
  • Terrorist financing links
  • Human rights violations

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Running the Check

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API Endpoint

POST https://api.parcha.ai/api/v1/startKYCAgentJob

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Request Parameters

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agent_key
string
required
Use "public-kyc" for individual screening checks.
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check_id
string
required
Use "kyc.adverse_media_screening_check_v2" for individual adverse media screening.
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payload
object
required
The individual information for screening.

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Example Request

curl -X POST 'https://api.parcha.ai/api/v1/startKYCAgentJob' \
-H 'Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY' \
-H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
-d '{
  "agent_key": "public-kyc",
  "check_id": "kyc.adverse_media_screening_check_v2",
  "payload": {
    "id": "adverse-media-check-001",
    "self_attested_data": {
      "first_name": "John",
      "last_name": "Smith",
      "middle_name": "David",
      "date_of_birth": "1975-08-20",
      "country_of_residence": "US",
      "address": {
        "city": "Miami",
        "state": "FL",
        "country_code": "US"
      }
    }
  }
}'

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Initial Response

{
  "id": "job-abc123",
  "status": "PENDING",
  "created_at": "2024-02-15T10:30:00Z",
  "updated_at": "2024-02-15T10:30:00Z",
  "agent_id": "public-bdd",
  "input_payload": {
    // Original request payload
  }
}

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Retrieving Check Results

Once the job is complete, retrieve the results using the job ID with the getJobByID endpoint. Make sure to include the include_check_results=true parameter to get the full check results. 
GET https://api.parcha.ai/api/v1/getJobByID?job_id=job-abc123&include_check_results=true

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Check Process

The adverse media screening check follows these steps:
  1. Media Search
    • Searches news databases and archives
    • Queries legal and court records
    • Searches regulatory enforcement databases
    • Scans social media and online forums
  2. Content Analysis
    • Identifies articles mentioning the individual
    • Analyzes context and severity
    • Categorizes adverse events
    • Filters out irrelevant or positive mentions
  3. Identity Verification
    • Confirms the article refers to the screened individual
    • Cross-references location and dates
    • Evaluates name uniqueness
    • Reduces false positives
  4. Risk Assessment
    • Categorizes findings by severity
    • Determines match confidence
    • Evaluates recency and relevance
    • Provides risk rating

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Check Results

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Response Structure

{
  type: "AdverseMediaScreeningCheckResult";
  passed: boolean;
  articles: Array<AdverseMediaArticle>;
  total_articles: number;
  summary: {
    high_severity_count: number;
    medium_severity_count: number;
    low_severity_count: number;
    categories: Array<string>;
  };
  screening_date: string;
}

type AdverseMediaArticle = {
  title: string;
  url?: string;
  publication_date: string;
  source: string;
  excerpt: string;
  match_rating: "strong_match" | "partial_match" | "weak_match" | "false_positive";
  match_score: number;
  category: string;
  severity: "high" | "medium" | "low";
  topics: Array<string>;
  locations?: Array<string>;
  individuals_mentioned?: Array<string>;
}

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Adverse Media Categories

  • Financial Crime: Fraud, embezzlement, money laundering, tax evasion
  • Violent Crime: Assault, murder, terrorism
  • Corruption: Bribery, kickbacks, conflicts of interest
  • Regulatory Action: SEC enforcement, banking violations, licensing actions
  • Civil Litigation: Lawsuits, class actions, settlements
  • Sanctions/Watchlists: Sanctions violations, watchlist additions
  • Cybercrime: Hacking, data breaches, identity theft
  • Human Rights: Forced labor, human trafficking, rights violations
  • Drug Trafficking: Drug-related offenses and trafficking
  • Organized Crime: Gang activity, racketeering, organized criminal enterprises

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Example Results

{
  "type": "AdverseMediaScreeningCheckResult",
  "passed": true,
  "articles": [],
  "total_articles": 0,
  "summary": {
    "high_severity_count": 0,
    "medium_severity_count": 0,
    "low_severity_count": 0,
    "categories": []
  },
  "screening_date": "2024-02-15T10:30:00Z"
}

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Risk Factors

The check may flag concerns if:
  • Recent financial crime convictions or charges
  • Money laundering or terrorist financing connections
  • Regulatory enforcement actions
  • Repeated patterns of adverse behavior
  • High-severity crimes (violent crimes, serious fraud)
  • Association with sanctioned entities or individuals
  • Involvement in corruption or bribery schemes

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Search Strategies

The check can use multiple search strategies:
  • OPOINT: Premium adverse media database
  • SERP_GOOGLE_NEWS: Google News search
  • SERP_GOOGLE_SEARCH: General web search
  • LEGAL_DATABASES: Court records and legal filings
  • REGULATORY_DATABASES: SEC, FINRA, other regulatory sources

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Best Practices

  1. Use Complete Names: Include middle name for better matching
  2. Provide Location: Helps filter false positives
  3. Set Age Cutoff: Focus on recent news (typically 2-5 years)
  4. Review Match Quality: Verify articles refer to the correct person
  5. Consider Context: Not all adverse media is disqualifying
  6. Combine Checks: Use with sanctions and PEP screening
  7. Update Regularly: Rescreen periodically as new articles appear

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Configuration Options

  • article_limit: Maximum articles to analyze (default: 250)
  • search_strategies: Select search methods
  • age_cutoff: Years of historical data to search (default: 2)
  • vendor: Choose screening vendor
  • filter_non_perpetrators: Exclude articles where person is victim
  • adverse_media_topic_filter: Filter by specific topics
  • match_addresses: Cross-check addresses to improve accuracy
  • include_civil_cases: Include civil litigation