Which strategy involves employees taking scheduled time off to detect fraud?

• A. Hand Geometry
• B. Face Recognition
• C. Virtual Token
• D. Mandatory Vacations

Answer: (D)

Mandatory vacations involve requiring employees to take planned time off, with another person stepping in to handle and review their duties. This creates an opportunity for independent oversight, allowing colleagues to spot inconsistencies, missing steps, or unusual approvals that the regular operator might conceal. By rotating who performs critical tasks, it becomes harder for fraud to go undetected, and it can reveal issues such as payroll manipulation, improper access, or fictitious transactions. Biometric checks like hand geometry or face recognition focus on verifying identity for access, not on uncovering fraudulent activity through interim reviews. A virtual token similarly secures access but doesn’t provide the in-depth cross-checking that comes from another person examining the work. Therefore, mandating vacations best fits the strategy of detecting fraud through scheduled time off and secondary review.