evidence: Massive robocall and phone scam operations don’t work if the criminal organizations behind them don’t have anyone to call. Unfortunately, getting numbers is relatively simple. Phone number and name combinations are not typically private information, so scammers can usually scrape this data from public archives. [...] An easier route that many phone scammers take is to instead purchase stolen data from data breaches, or steal phone numbers and other data from poorly-secured databases. [...] One of the most effective ways to avoid caller ID scams is to ensure that third parties don’t get access to your phone number in the first place. This means not entering your phone number into competitions or any unnecessary online forms.