High street retailer is assigned numbers to connect in sequential order in lists hundreds at a time:
e.g 07738 400500 to 07738 400900
Joe public walks in and buys a handset on contract with a new number
12/18 months later gets a call from a company to sell him a new deal. Asks why?
All that company has done is sent someone into said high street retailer, asked to see the phone numbers list on screen and pick one out
That person know that in a 12/18 months time he can plug that number range into his dialer with a high probability that his company will be able to do some business!
Leakage of personal data? No. Laughably simple scam? Yes