Had this happen to me. A collection agency started looking for someone out of nowhere. I had the same number for years. I got one of the agencies to stop calling me. About a year later the calls started up again after being sold to another agency. The pricks even started calling my parents in a different city looking for this unknown person. I ditched the landline for cell phone about a year ago. I get a few text messages and phone calls for the previous number holder, but have been able to successfully block them.
I’ve not had a landline since 1998 but numbers change too frequently to block. It has tapered in recent months.
I’ve been tempted to tell them ‘I go by Mario now. If you want the parts you paid for come get them.’
Recently I’ve been getting spoofed number robocalls from overseas for someone else who presumably had the number before Maria (some older gentleman called a few times for her birthday - I called him back to tell him it wasn’t her number anymore). Either it goes to voicemail (which they don’t realize is voicemail) or I answer and immediately hang up.