Money Laundering Risks During Holidays: Why Quiet Periods Attract Financial Crime
- Anna Stylianou
- 2 days ago
- 3 min read
August is widely seen as a month of rest. In many countries, people take holidays, inboxes go unanswered, and businesses slow down. Compliance teams are smaller, decisions take longer, and day-to-day monitoring is often lighter.
But while we take a break, criminals don’t. Money laundering risks during holidays are real. August, and any period when compliance teams are short-handed or distracted, creates the perfect window for financial crime to slip through.
How Criminals Exploit Gaps in AML Oversight
People who launder money are patient. They plan carefully. They know when to strike - and August is one of their favourite times of the year.
Why? Because:
Fewer people are at work: Many experienced compliance officers are away.
Delays in approval: When senior staff are not available, important decisions may be delayed or left to less experienced team members.
Less time for review: Those who are working may be covering extra tasks and don’t have the time to double-check everything.
Busy with admin: Staff still in the office are often focused on catching up before their own break or covering others who are away.
That means criminals have more chances to push suspicious transactions through without getting noticed.
Why August Is a Risky Month for Financial Crime
In a webinar I hosted in the past with former money launderer Kenneth Rijock, he explained that Friday afternoons and holiday periods were his preferred times to move money. The logic was simple: “The people who could stop it weren’t paying attention - or weren’t there.”
August is full of these kinds of moments. But so are other critical periods:
Year-end closings, when focus shifts to reporting and reconciliation.
Public holidays and long weekends when staff is reduced.
Late December, when festive season absences create gaps.
These aren’t just administrative risks. They’re operational blind spots — and money launderers wait for them.
Common Red Flags Missed During Quiet Periods
These are some of the signs of money laundering that are easier to miss during quiet periods:
Small international payments sent in a pattern that looks normal unless you connect the dots.
Email scams where fraudsters pretend to be trusted people—at a time when many are away.
New or unusual customer behaviour that seems minor but is actually part of a larger plan.
Use of people with “clean” profiles (like students or retirees) to move money quietly.
All of this can happen right under your nose if the usual review process isn’t followed.
How to Manage Money Laundering Risks During Holidays and Low-Staff Periods
Planning ahead is essential - because money laundering risks during holidays don’t just happen in August. They can surface any time your defences are lowered.
Here are five things you can do:
Make sure high-risk clients stay under proper monitoring at all times - not just when your full team is available. If your usual reviewers are away, reassign responsibility clearly and ensure nothing falls through the cracks.
Ensure someone experienced is always reachable for decisions that involve elevated risk or suspicious activity. Junior staff should never be left to make those calls alone.
Keep a clear record of decisions taken during holiday coverage — especially when teams are reduced or approvals are delegated.
Use the quiet weeks to review your controls. Go back to open alerts, paused cases, or high-value transactions that didn’t get proper attention.
Communicate roles and escalation paths in advance. Everyone covering during August should know exactly what they’re allowed to approve, and what requires a second opinion.
Final Thought
August should absolutely be a month to slow down. But slowing down doesn’t mean switching off.
Criminals don’t wait until you come back from holiday. They act when your guard is down. If your AML framework only works when the whole team is present and alert, then it’s not strong enough.
Real protection means your system still works - even when you're not in the room.