Suspicious Activity Report (SAR)
A SAR — known as a Suspicious Transaction Report (STR) in some jurisdictions — is a legal obligation, not a discretionary step. Once a reporting threshold of suspicion is met, the firm must file promptly and, in most regimes, must not 'tip off' the customer that a report has been made.
Not every monitoring alert becomes a SAR. An alert is the starting signal; an analyst investigates, and where no legitimate explanation is found, escalates to a filing decision. The investigation, evidence, and rationale must all be documented and retained.
Key points
- A legal obligation once suspicion is reasonably formed
- Filed with the national FIU (e.g. STRO, FinCEN, AUSTRAC)
- Tipping-off the customer is generally prohibited
- Backed by a documented investigation and audit trail
How One Constellation helps
Structured SAR/STR drafting, approval, and native filing to goAML, STRO, FinCEN, and AUSTRAC — from one workflow.
Explore SAR / STR ReportingFrequently asked
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