[USA]
I’ve had my current number for 5 years now. I continue to get calls from organizations which ostensibly identify themselves as debt collectors, trying to find somebody whom I’ve never heard of and who (of course) never lived here. Did someone have my number 7 years ago, then moved, and 2 years later I got theirs? Or did the collection agency make an error on the number, or perhaps the scofflaw in question chose my number at random out of the phonebook when she filled out whatever forms were involved? [Or, of course, the “collection agency” a scam and they are randomly calling numbers to try to intimidate people to pay nonexistent debts]
I had an 800 number once that had been used by another party just 24 hours before it became mine. He was late making his payment (per him) and they prematurely (again, per him) took the number from him. He called me (using his old number) and asked me to “give it back to him”. I explained that he should speak to his phone company.
I’m still getting calls for the previous holder of my home number 10 years later. I’m beginning to think he’s giving them the number as a B.S. number or something. I wonder if it’s possible to get that cleared up?
When the previous owner of my 800 number continued to “use” it in hopes of getting it back, I began telling (his) callers that they should go f@ck themselves. The problem resolved quickly.