I had the same issue when my phone number was erroneously published in a commodities magazine. I kept getting calls at all hours from investors asking about the price of soy beans and corn. I quoted them a price way below actual prices. A retraction was published to all magazine subscribers within a day or two and the calls ceased.
I would say negotiate...... ask them to come over and let’s talk price. Where? you know where, you want to buy
When a collector calls say I sent you a check last week. The check’s in the mail.
When an irate husband calls say I’m sorry but she came on to me and I’m sure you know she is fantastic.
https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052970204012004577070122687462582
Until 2002, Nanpa [North American Numbering Plan Administration] issued carriers 10,000-number blocks. But as mobile-phone use became pervasive, carriers quickly snapped up more blocks, accelerating the race toward what the industry calls "number exhaustion"—the day when every possible number is taken. Now, Nanpa doles out numbers in blocks of 1,000, and telecommunications experts estimate North America won't run out of phone numbers until 2040. (There's no plan yet for what happens after that, though Nanpa says it's studying options.)Nanpa releases as many as 30 million never-before-used numbers each year, but carriers can only get them after they have assigned 75% of their inventory and are six months away from exhausting their supply.
I deal with this problem by saying “ Hello, did you know Jose? This is Detective Jones from the Sheriff’s department. Can you please come down and identify Jose’s body?”
Something somewhat similar happens on my cellphone. I get text messages about once or twice a week addressed to an unusual-sounding female Hispanic name. They talk about real-estate transactions. I just delete them.