Information and Records

Every legal cargo has a cargo list. It says what the cargo is, how much there is, where it came from and where it is going.
Core customs officers check the list against the hold. Mid ports check it if nobody paid them. Rim ports rarely check at all.
A list that does not match the hold means fines or a seized load. On the Rim, it can mean forced work.
Syndicates sell fake cargo lists. They pass on the Rim and fall apart in the Core.
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Authority ID. Core citizens carry an Authority ID card. You need one for big ports, big jobs and bank accounts.
Local records. Each world keeps its own records. A person can be clean on one world and wanted on the next.
Ship papers. Every legal ship carries papers and a crew list. A missing crew member makes officers think of desertion or kidnapping.
Losing your ID. Unpaid debts, skipped jobs or criminal charges can get an ID pulled. Getting it back takes money or friends.
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Data brokers. For a high price, the Data Guilds can bury a crime, wipe a name or clean up a record.
Synthborn backups. Synthborn keep backup copies of records. Those copies can bring back a wiped name or expose a crooked official.
Bribes. Clerks take bribes to lose small fines. Another clerk may still have a copy.
Marked for life. Big crimes, such as ice jacking, mutiny or attacking Authority officers, stay on your record forever.
Rim records. Rim records are patchy. Two ports can tell different stories about the same person. Crews use that, until someone compares notes.
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Carry two kinds of ID if you can, an Authority card and a local one.
Keep your cargo list consistent, even when smuggling. A list that contradicts itself draws more attention than a short one.
Check new crew before you hire them. Someone wiped in one port may still have a bounty in the next.
If you pay to wipe a name, find out who is doing it. Only a Data Guild wipe holds everywhere.