After my data was leaked, now scammers periodically call my phone to let me know that "I'm from bank security and someone's recently tried to change phone number for your bank account" or "I'm from police and we're opening a criminal case against you". It was fun first few times, but now I'm considering changing my phone number because I could miss an actual bank security call.
And I'm sure that plenty of gullible people were scammed and lost their money because of those leaks. When someone calls you, knows your full name and talks with enough confidence, it causes some trust.
My voicemail now indicates that I am no longer answering unknown numbers and to please leave a message or text me if you can.
It’s a little lengthy, but it’s cut down on the number of spam calls I actually answer specifically and I’m reasonably sure that anyone who actually needs to get a hold of me has an easy path to do so.
And I'm sure that plenty of gullible people were scammed and lost their money because of those leaks. When someone calls you, knows your full name and talks with enough confidence, it causes some trust.