Vanessa Frei, Ph.D., has received a 2025 Leighton E. Cluff Award for Aging Research for her work examining vulnerability to fraud and deception among younger and older adults. The award is presented annually to support studies on aging, with an emphasis on social issues in later life.
Frei’s research highlights the importance of social decision-making in detecting scams, aiming to gain a better understanding of strategies that can protect older adults from fraud and exploitation.
“Fraud victimization and deception disproportionately impact older adults, yet we currently lack scalable, objective markers to identify specific groups that may be the most vulnerable,” said Frei, an MBI Gator NeuroScholar in the lab of Natalie Ebner, Ph.D. “The goal of this research is to develop targeted interventions aimed at preserving autonomy and well-being.”