Can one get a phone number of a dwelling regardless of who lives there?

[question everything]

In the past couple of weeks we received first class mail to someone we have never heard of and who certainly does not live in our address - a single house.

We just returned it to the post office saying he is not at this address.

This morning I actually answered the phone - Sunday, after all - and someone, not a robocall, asked for the same person.

Thus I wonder whether just having an address, though a wrong one, can provides a listed phone number

Curiouser and curiouser.

[brush]

1. Reverse phone books do exist. Something is happening...

if you're getting mail and calls for someone who doesn't live there. Maybe it's a former resident of the house.

I still get mail for a former resident of my house after 13 years living here. No phone calls though.

[question everything]

2. Thanks but, no. We have lived here 20 years and the former owners - I know their name - lived here

18 years. Original ones.

And this started only a few weeks ago.

They may have called before. After being swamped with spam called several weeks ago we no longer answer (landline) and most of the calls never leave a message.

[ret5hd]

4. I would consider: 1) check/lock your credit.

2) check your reported SS earnings at the .gov site

3) at your local (county?) govt site, check on who is the registered property owner

etc etc…others here might have more suggestions.

[bamagal62]

6. This. 👆

[question everything]

8. Thanks. Am long time retired so no SS earnings for many years

We are the registered property owners, had to search recently to pay property tax online..

[ret5hd]

9. My point is : re-check again

Could maybe be someone “borrowing” your SS#, which would greatly complicate next years taxes.

Also, read this about “property fraud”:
https://www.flammialaw.com/what-is-property-fraud-and-should-i-be-concerned/

[question everything]

10. Thanks, I will

[rsdsharp]

3. We've lived in our house 19 years. The people we bought it from

lived here 11 years. We still get mail addressed to two OTHER people. People who haven’t lived here for more than 30 years.

[Fla Dem]

5. Did you question the caller? Where did they get the phone #? Was there caller ID?

Was there a return address on the envelopes? If so, you could send them a note to see where they got the address. Probably won't get a response, but could give it a try. Did you do a search on this person? I don't know, just some of the things I would think to do if I was in this situation. Might provide some answers, might not.

[question everything]

7. No, I did not. In hindsight I should have.

No return on the envelope though it was "important tax info about unemployment payment' - or something.

I will watch for future calls.

Some months ago we received similar mail pieces for another name. Again, no return addresses. The carrier may have stopped delivery after I wrote "not at this address."

And, yes, tried to google. Only reference in LinkedIN where I am not a member and most from overseas. I suspect that this is a made up name but am not sure how the fraud is working.

[Fla Dem]

11. Ok, sounds like you did all you could. Probably a scam.

Good luck. Hope you’re not bothered.