What is the primary use of SARs?

• A. To support criminal investigations and find links between criminals
• B. To publicly disclose confidential information
• C. To monitor employee performance
• D. To generate annual reports

Answer: (A)

Suspicious Activity Reports are designed to feed law enforcement with leads about potential financial crime. They are filed by banks and other financial institutions when transactions or patterns suggest money laundering, fraud, terrorist financing, or other illicit activity. The key idea is to provide investigators with information to support criminal investigations and to help identify connections and networks among criminals. These reports are confidential to protect ongoing investigations and to avoid tipping off suspects, and they are not intended for public disclosure, performance reviews, or generic annual reporting. That makes the choice about supporting investigations and uncovering links the best fit.