Short answer
What you should know before deciding
An initial search by name turned up multiple records.
ILLUSTRATIVE CASE · FICTITIOUS DATA · DOES NOT DESCRIBE A REAL CUSTOMER
01
Context
An initial search by name turned up multiple records.
02
The decision that was at stake
Determine which ones could be attributed to the person under investigation.
03
Reviewed evidence
- Results obtained only with first and last name.
- Organs and locations incompatible with the investigated profile.
- Dates and activities that ruled out several coincidences.
- A pending result due to lack of sufficient identifiers.
04
Find
Dates, locations and activity ruled out the majority; a match remained possible, not confirmed.
05
Prudent analysis
Reporting all results as if they were from the same person would have been incorrect and disproportionate.
The finding was separated from any unproven inferences and was evaluated only against the decision presented.
06
Proportional alternatives
- Request additional relevant information to confirm or rule out.
- Report the match as unconfirmed and explain the reason.
- Exclude incompatible results and keep the discard log.
Action considered: Request an additional identifier and keep the match pending validation.
Case lesson
What changes a well-contextualized investigation?
More results do not mean better investigation. Quality depends on correctly attributing and expressing the degree of certainty without turning a possibility into a fact.
Practical application
What to check and what to ask
Control questions
- What decision should this review inform?
- What evidence confirms the data?
- What limits should be expressed?
Frequent errors
- Search without a defined purpose.
- Confusing a coincidence with a confirmed fact.
- Ignore date, source or status of the result.
Scope and limits
Educational content, not advice for a specific case. A match does not confirm identity and the absence of findings does not guarantee absence of risk. Coverage changes by source, jurisdiction and date; A material decision may require clarification and specialized advice.
Next step
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