AARP has expanded its free anti-fraud training program to financial advisors, the seniors’ organization announced recently.

The program, called BankSafe, is an online training platform for bank and credit union staff, and now financial advisors. The training platform will help “equip financial advisors with the knowledge, skills and confidence they need to better understand and interact with older clients, identify red flags of financial exploitation and take the right steps prevent exploitation,” AARP said.

“AARP is committed to helping defend older adults against financial exploitation,” AARP’s BankSafe National Director Jilenne Gunther, said in a statement. “Working together with the financial services industry, we know this program will help protect millions of older adults from exploitation.”

First made available to in spring 2019, the BankSafe training program is distributed by the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association (SIFMA), the National Association of Personal Financial Advisors (NAPFA) and the National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors (NAIFA). Collectively, these organizations represent more than 300,000 financial advisors.

“Financial exploitation of seniors and vulnerable adults is a serious issue that destructively impacts our friends, family, neighbors, and in turn, our country,” Kenneth E. Bentsen Jr., SIFMA president and CEO, said in a statement.

The training promotes the understanding of the needs and desires of older adults. Designed to meet the unique needs and demands of client-facing staff, the BankSafe platform is an interactive, 60-minute training that employees can complete in one sitting or at their own pace that includes 20 education and training activities.

“Financial advisors are often some of the first people to spot financial exploitation,” Kevin Mayeux, CEO of NAIFA, said in a statement.

Investment firms that train at least 80% of their advisors and confirm that they have a financial-exploitation escalation or reporting policy in place can apply to use the label “AARP BankSafe Trained,” which recognizes their efforts to fight exploitation, AARP said. Additional information about the program can be found at aarp.org/banksafe.