World-Check is the world’s most widely used financial crime risk intelligence database, used by banks, cryptocurrency exchanges, insurance companies, and compliance teams across virtually every regulated industry. A false positive — an incorrect entry linking you to financial crime, sanctions, or adverse media — can devastate your ability to open bank accounts, obtain financing, conduct business, or even retain existing financial services relationships. This guide explains what to do when you discover you are incorrectly listed in World-Check.
How False Positives Occur in World-Check
World-Check profiles are created and maintained by a team of LSEG (London Stock Exchange Group) researchers using publicly available information — court records, news articles, regulatory announcements, and official watchlists. False positives occur for several reasons:
- Name matching errors: A common name shared with a genuinely listed person causes incorrect attribution of adverse information to the wrong individual
- Outdated information: A profile based on historical adverse media that is no longer accurate — for example, charges that were dropped, an acquittal, or a conviction that has been spent under applicable law
- Misclassification: Incorrect categorisation as a PEP (Politically Exposed Person) or as having sanctions exposure when the person has no such status
- Secondary association: Incorrect linkage to a sanctioned person or organisation based on a shared address, business relationship, or family name that does not constitute actual exposure
- Incomplete reporting: An adverse media article that reported charges or investigations but did not follow up with the acquittal or case dismissal — leaving an incomplete and misleading picture
Step 1: Obtain Your World-Check Profile
The first step is to obtain a copy of your World-Check profile. Under GDPR Article 15, you have the right of access to personal data held about you by any data controller established in the EU — and LSEG, as the operator of World-Check, processes EU individuals’ personal data and is subject to GDPR. Submit a Subject Access Request (SAR) to LSEG’s data protection team requesting all personal data held about you in the World-Check database, the sources used, and the specific categories under which you are listed.
Step 2: Identify the Specific Error
Once you have your profile, identify precisely what information is incorrect, outdated, or misattributed. The challenge strategy depends on the type of error. A name matching error requires demonstrating that you are a different person from the listed individual. An outdated adverse media entry requires demonstrating the subsequent resolution. A misclassification error requires demonstrating that the classification criteria are not met.
Step 3: Submit a Formal Dispute
LSEG operates a formal dispute process for World-Check entries. Submit a written dispute supported by documentary evidence addressing the specific errors identified. Evidence may include court documents showing acquittal or case dismissal, official records demonstrating the absence of sanctions exposure, identity documents distinguishing you from a different listed person, or news articles and other publications that correctly reflect the subsequent resolution of matters previously reported.
Step 4: Regulatory Escalation If the Dispute Is Refused
If LSEG refuses your dispute, you can escalate to the Information Commissioner’s Office in the UK (as LSEG is UK-headquartered) or to your national data protection authority under GDPR. A supervisory authority complaint can compel LSEG to review the decision and, if upheld, order correction or deletion of the incorrect data. In serious cases — particularly where the incorrect listing causes ongoing financial harm — civil litigation for damages under GDPR Article 82 is also available.
Our lawyers have experience challenging World-Check profiles for private clients and corporate executives. Contact us for a confidential assessment of your profile and dispute options.
