Your suspicious matter reports (SMRs) provide valuable information to law enforcement agencies and us. These reports can help us detect money laundering, terrorism financing, fraud and other serious crime.
You don’t need proof that a crime has happened. You only need to form a suspicion on reasonable grounds.
Report your suspicions
You don’t need every detail. Submit an SMR when you form a suspicion on reasonable grounds. Ask yourself:
- What activity or behaviour caused concern?
- Why did it seem unusual or inconsistent?
- What information did you consider?
- Was there a reasonable explanation?
These answers can give you enough information to support an SMR.
Explain what raised concern
A strong SMR explains more than what happened. It tells us why the activity raised concern and how you formed your suspicion.
For example, instead of writing ‘Customer made several transactions’, explain the pattern: ‘Customer who normally transfers less than $1,000 per month sent 5 international transfers totalling $45,000 over two days. This didn’t match their transaction history and no reasonable explanation was provided.’
This information connects the facts, behaviour and circumstances that led to your suspicion.
If you don’t know a detail, don’t guess. Provide the information you have. It’s okay to leave blanks when fields aren’t mandatory.
Your role is to explain the activity and your reasons for concern. We will assess the information alongside other intelligence.
Report on time
Once you form a suspicion on reasonable grounds, the reporting timeframes apply. You must submit an SMR within:
- 24 hours when the suspicion is related to terrorism financing
- 3 business days after the day you formed any other type of suspicion.
Timely reporting helps us act on the information when it's most useful. For more information, see our latest guidance.
Resources
You can read our guidance on suspicious matter reports.
You can also access our educational resources on SMRs: