Good article to read. This is the reason I have transfer lockdown on at all times in my fidelity stuff. It's scary how good these fraudsters are getting.
A retiree logged into his wife’s Roth I.R.A. to make a trade, and stumbled upon a crime scene.
www.nytimes.com
Everything on the accounts I run gives me a text message when a stock sale occurs. It’s crazy how easy it is to rip people off now.
But this isn't a stock sale. It's a straight withdrawal. I know Fidelity has a lockdown. I think E-Trade out one in. Not sure about Vanguard.
But this is good paranoia. I keep mine locked down tight. In specific - I have this transfer lockdown on at all times. I have a long complex password thought my password manager (Bitwarden). And have multi factor security at Fidelity, as well. That gets the authenticator number through Aegis, which requires another password to get in. So someone trying the front door will need my password, my physical phone and that second password. By the back door hopefully the transfer lockdown will work. Still, though, there is always some AI hack to impersonate you and switch things behind your back to worry about.