Findings from a new USC Dornsife study suggest that when older adults fall for financial scams, it could be an early warning sign of Alzheimer's disease. Researchers used MRI scans to find that older adults with thinner brain regions linked to memory and decision-making -- areas often affected early in Alzheimer's -- were more likely to be vulnerable to financial scams. The findings offer hope that financial vulnerability could be used as a simple screening tool to help identify early signs of cognitive decline, especially in people over 70.