What is a criminal watchlist?
A criminal watchlist is a catalogue of people or organisations named in open investigations, indictments, convictions, or “Most Wanted” notices issued by law-enforcement or judicial bodies. Unlike sanctions lists (which are foreign-policy tools) or PEP rosters (political-risk markers), criminal watchlists document direct involvement in fraud, corruption, money-laundering, organised crime, or other prosecutable offences.
Screening for criminal activity is essential because it blocks known fraudsters and corrupt actors before they reach your platform, fulfils regulators’ expectations for "adverse information" checks under AML / KYC rules (as outlined by FATF and most national supervisors), reduces legal exposure by demonstrating that you took reasonable steps to avoid facilitating money-laundering or corruption, and safeguards your brand from headlines linking it to high-profile fugitives or convicted executives.
How criminal data complements Sanctions & PEP screening
- Sanctions + Criminal → flags entities under both economic restrictions and active prosecution (heightened risk).
- PEP + Criminal → surfaces politically connected figures facing fraud or bribery charges.
- Standalone Criminal → catches actors too small for sanctions but still capable of reputational damage.
Where is our Warrants / Criminal data sourced from?
Our current coverage includes, but not limited to:
- Interpol Red Notices (global)
- FBI Most Wanted & OFAC FCP (US)
- EUROPOL’s EU Most Wanted (EU)
- Serious Fraud Office & FCA bans (UK)
- World Bank & EBRD debarments (multilateral)
This following table lists the sources that ComplyMesh actively tracks.
| Region | Data Sources | Refresh Frequency |
|---|---|---|
| Brazil Ministry of Labour and Employment slavery prevention list | daily | |
| INTERPOL Red Notices | daily | |
| Brazil | Brazil List of Individuals Disqualified from Public Service | daily |
| Brazil Register of Persons Disqualified from Senior Roles | daily | |
| Egypt | Egypt Domestic Terrorist List | daily |
| European Union | EU ESMA Sanctions | daily |
| Europe Most Wanted Fugitives | daily | |
| France | France AMF Illegal Financial Services list | daily |
| France AMF Regulatory sanctions | daily | |
| Germany | Germany BKA Wanted Fugitives | daily |
| Global | OHCHR List of Companies Linked to Illegal Settlement in the West Bank | daily |
| Guernsey | Guernsey FSC Prohibitions and Disqualified Directors | daily |
| India | India National Stock Exchange Debarred Entities | daily |
| Isle of Man | Isle of Man FSA Disqualified Directors | daily |
| Lithuania | Lithuania Illegal Financial Services | daily |
| Lithuania Illegal Gambling Operators | daily | |
| Luxembourg | Luxembourg Administrative Sanctions | daily |
| Malaysia | Malaysia Financial Consumer Alert List | daily |
| Malaysia Securities Commission AOB Enforcements | daily | |
| Malaysia Securities Commission Investor Alert List | daily | |
| Netherlands | Netherlands Police Nationale Opsporingslijst | daily |
| Norway | Norges Bank Investment Management observation and exclusion of companies | daily |
| Pakistan | Pakistan NACTA Proscribed Persons | daily |
| Philippines | Philippines SEC Advisories | daily |
| Philippines Top Most Wanted Persons in the Cordillera Regions | daily | |
| Poland | Poland Wanted Persons | daily |
| South Africa | South Africa Wanted Persons | daily |
| Spain | Spain National Police Most Wanted List | daily |
| Switzerland | Swiss FINMA Final Rulings | daily |
| Swiss FINMA Warning List | daily | |
| Türkiye | Türkiye Capital Markets Board Banned List | daily |
| Türkiye Ministry Of Interior Terrorist Wanted List | daily | |
| United Kingdom | UK Companies House Disqualified Directors | daily |
| UK NCA Most Wanted | daily | |
| UK Proscribed Terrorist Groups or Organizations | daily | |
| United States | ransomwhe.re ransomware addresses | daily |
| US DEA Fugitives | daily | |
| US Directorate of Defense Trade Controls AECA Debarments | daily | |
| US Directorate of Defense Trade Controls Penalties & Oversight Agreements | daily | |
| US DoD Chinese military companies | daily | |
| Chinese Military Companies Sanctions (1260H) | daily | |
| US FBI Lazarus Group Crypto Wallets | daily | |
| US FBI Most Wanted | daily | |
| US FCC Covered List | daily | |
| List of Equipment and Services Covered By Section 2 of The Secure Networks Act | daily | |
| US FDIC Failed Banks | daily | |
| US Federal Reserve Enforcement Actions | daily | |
| US Federal Reserve Enforcement Actions | daily | |
| US FINRA Enforcement Actions | daily | |
| US Immigration and Customs Enforcement Most Wanted Fugitives | daily | |
| US OCC Enforcement Actions | daily | |
| US Office of Antiboycott Compliance Requester List | daily | |
| US Public Alert: Unregistered Soliciting Entities (PAUSE) | daily | |
| US SAM Procurement Exclusions | daily | |
| US SEC Actions Due to Harmed Investors | daily | |
| US Secret Service Most Wanted Fugitives | daily | |
| US Special Legislative Exclusions | daily | |
| James M. Inhofe National Defense Authorization Act (5949 List) | daily | |
| John S. McCain National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2019 (889 List) | daily | |
| Section 1286 of the John S. McCain National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2019 (Public Law 115 - 232) | daily | |
| Section 154 of the United States National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2024 | daily | |
| Section 353 of the Corrupt and Undemocratic Actors Report | daily |
Have a watchlist we're missing?
Send us the link, whether it's an official federal or state publication or a community-maintained crime-watch database. We'll review it for inclusion in the next update.