***This page features links to past projects and labs where I was an active contributor***

Stanford Center on Longevity: Projects and Links

Exposed to Scams: What Separates Victims from Non-Victims?

Why do some consumers engage with scammers while others shut them down immediately? Why do some people lose money while others figure out the scam and don’t? Despite the enormous personal and financial costs of fraud victimization, little is understood about the factors differentiating targets, people who respond but don’t fall for the scam, and victims who lose money. Together with the FINRA Foundation and the Better Business Bureau, we sought to understand the factors that differentiate those who become scam victims versus those who do not. The report is based on a survey of 1,408 Americans and Canadians who were targeted and reported a scam. The findings will enable us to develop more focused and effective public education resources and tactics.

Published: October 2019

Fraud Longevity Briefs

Financial fraud is a crime that targets consumers of all ages, not just older adults. To protect retirement assets throughout the life course, I created these five briefs and a webinar featuring practical strategies to recognize and resist persuasion and avoid victimization attempts.

The Center’s LONGEVITY BRIEFS series is designed to empower individuals with research and knowledge to be able to truly make a difference to improve long lives.

The series consists of short briefs and webinars that explain important research findings and provide concrete action steps individuals can take to live long and live well. In addition to fraud, other topics written by my colleagues include Life Planning in the Age of Longevity, Innovating Longevity, Updates to Caregiving Research, Social Engagement, and other research on financial security, psychology, and healthy living. 

Findings from a Pilot Study to Measure Financial Fraud in the United States

This survey was developed based on the seven major categories of fraud outlined in the taxonomy presented below. Using an online sample of 2,000 US adults, data was collected on the frequency and type of fraud victimization in the past year, the amount of the loss, fraud solicitation and transaction methods, perpetrator characteristics, reporting behaviors, and the emotional and financial impact of victimization. The financial fraud survey will be included as a module in the National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS) managed by the Bureau of Justice Statistics. This module will be administered to over 70,000 US adults. Launching this survey with the NCVS will mark the first time that fraud will be measured with a sample size large enough to produce reliable estimates about the number of Americans affected by specific fraud types. It will demonstrate to consumers, policymakers, and the private sector the cost and impact of financial fraud in the United States and point to where resources are needed to safeguard consumers.

Published: February 2017

Framework for a Taxonomy of Fraud

Because no uniform classification system existed, researchers and practitioners relied on inconsistent definitions and categorizations of fraud. This affects fraud prevalence estimates as well as our understanding of the mechanisms and consequences of individual financial fraud. The Stanford Center on Longevity and the FINRA Investor Education Foundation (FINRA Foundation) collaborated with fraud experts to develop a standardized fraud classification scheme. The purpose was to group and organize fraud types (targeting consumers) meaningfully and systematically into a hierarchical framework that could be translated into survey questions . The survey will ultimately help determine the annual prevalence of specific types of financial fraud and how prevalence rates change over time.

Published: July 2015

THE SIGHTLINES PROJECT

THE SIGHTLINES PROJECT is a benchmark analysis of an unfolding 21st century miracle – Americans living well, to the age of 100 and beyond. While we cannot control all the factors, there is much we can do as individuals and as a society to contribute to continued improvements in our well-being and length of life. The Stanford Center on Longevity, dedicated to redesigning long life, developed the SIGHTLINES PROJECT to track our trajectory and guide our efforts. The research report compares different generations over 10-15 years on important measures such as health and fitness, social connectedness, and financial security.

Published: February 2016

Fraud Research Archive

Part of the mission of the fraud program at the Stanford Center on Longevity (formerly the Financial Fraud Research Center) is to provide a central repository of resource materials on fraud. The archive is a collection of summaries of interdisciplinary research exploring the many dimensions of fraud, including studies on financial decision-making, fraud risk factors, outcomes, and the scope of the problem. It is a one-stop shop to locate relevant information on the topic and to inform future research, policy, and practice.

The articles include selections from psychology, marketing, sociology and economics, and are drawn from academic, non-profit, and private sources. The list is extensive, but not exhaustive.  In order to illustrate the contribution of each article to our knowledge of financial fraud, summaries are provided by staff at the Center, and abstracts are pulled directly from the original articles. Bibliographic information and links to original sources are listed for each article. The original full text sources may only be available by subscription.

Lifespan Development Laboratory

Professor Laura Cartensen's lab at Stanford University focuses on the social, emotional, and cognitive processes that people use to adapt to changing circumstances as they age. Researchers study how motivation changes over the life course and how this relates to emotional processing and emotion regulation over time. Lab members use diverse methodologies ranging from laboratory experiments using manipulations and virtual reality, to field studies examining aspects of emotional functioning in day-to-day life.

USC Davis School of Gerontology: Projects and Links