Hello, is it me you’re looking for? How scammers get your phone number

This article explains how scammers obtain and exploit phone numbers—through data brokers, public sources, stolen accounts, autodialers, and physical mail—and how AI tools (voice cloning, automated text) have made vishing and smishing more convincing; it cites examples (including large data exposures) and offers practical protections such as SIM security, non-SMS 2FA, cautious sharing of numbers, and privacy-enhancing tools.