Fraudsters and scammers gain your phone number through a variety of clever methods including:
Data breaches might result in the selling of sensitive information to dark web criminals.
Scammers can use web scraping technologies to gather data from websites and directories that contain phone numbers and other information.
Scammers can readily obtain personal information, including phone numbers, from public profiles, comments, and group conversations on social media.
Hackers use system vulnerabilities for access or SIM swap via stolen mail, shoulder surfing, public records, and cell carrier scams.
To protect your online activities, use strong passwords, be cautious of suspicious emails, and securely shred important documents.