What the score tells you
Every AML alert IzzyTap details carries a name match figure, for example "Strong match, 96%". It answers one narrow question: how closely does the name on this record match the name you searched? It is a measure of the words, not of the person. A 100% score means the name is written identically, not that it is definitely your client.
The three labels
The percentage is turned into a plain label so you can scan a list quickly.
- Exact match means a score of 100%. The name is written exactly as you searched it.
- Strong match means a score of 90% or more. The names are very close, for example a small spelling or spacing difference.
- Similar name means a score below 90%. The names resemble each other but differ more, often a different transliteration or a partial name.
On the report, each detailed record shows this as the name match line, for example "Similar name, 84%".
How the percentage is worked out
IzzyTap compares the searched name against the record's main name and all of its listed aliases, and keeps the best score of the lot. So if a record lists an alias that matches your client more closely than its primary name, the score reflects that alias. The comparison is a standard name-similarity calculation that gives extra weight to names that start the same way, which suits the abbreviated and transliterated names common in the UAE. It runs the same way every time, so the same two names always produce the same score.
Important
The score is about the name only. A high score is not proof of identity, and it never clears an alert on its own. A record can score 100% on the name and still be a completely different person, which is why a conflicting date of birth is what actually rules an alert in or out. See The five alert dispositions.
Why only the closest 30 are detailed
A common name can return far more records than anyone can usefully read. IzzyTap ranks every record by name similarity, highest first, and lists the closest 30 in full on the report. The report states plainly how many records were returned in total and how many were detailed, and notes that the remaining lower-similarity records were not examined one by one. Nothing is thrown away; the more distant records are recorded as forwarded for review rather than detailed.
There is one deliberate exception to a pure score order. Sanctions and criminal records are ranked ahead of a marginally higher-scoring PEP or other record, so a serious hit is never pushed out of the detailed 30 by a softer one with a slightly closer name.
To reduce the number of records in the first place, add a date of birth to the search. See Why one name can return hundreds of alerts.