This 3-hour introductory workshop is designed to help new financial crime professionals develop a solid foundation in Suspicious Activity Report (SAR) writing.
This course breaks down the core components of a well-structured SAR and provides the tools you need to start writing with clarity and confidence.
Whether you're just entering a compliance role or transitioning into financial crime investigations, this hands-on session will guide you through the basics, from identifying key elements of a report to drafting straightforward narratives that meet regulatory expectations.
Learning Objectives
By the end of this workshop, participants will be able to:
- Define the purpose and regulatory role of a SAR within the broader financial crime landscape
- Identify the key components of a SAR, including subject information, suspicious activity details, and narrative
- Use the “5 W’s” framework to organize information clearly and completely
- Write simple, factual SAR narratives that avoid speculation and jargon
- Recognize common red flags and typologies typically reported in SARs
- Follow basic best practices for summarizing transactions and avoiding common pitfalls in SAR writing
Hands-on Excercise: SAR Narrative Review