Final answer:
The pattern of fraud described is known as lapping, where cash collected from one customer is used to cover the funds not deposited from a previous customer.
Step-by-step explanation:
The pattern of fraud described in the question is known as lapping.
Lapping is a fraudulent scheme where cash collected from one customer is used to cover the funds not deposited from a previous customer. This is done by entering a subsequent collection from a new customer as a credit to the account of the previous customer whose payment was withheld. The cycle continues until a collection from another customer is recorded as a credit to the account of the new customer.
For example:
- Customer A pays $100, but the cashier withholds the money.
- Customer B pays $200, and the cashier records it as a credit to Customer A's account.
- Customer C pays $300, and the cashier records it as a credit to Customer B's account.
- This pattern continues, where each subsequent customer's payment is used to cover the shortfall from the previous customer's payment.