I've totally given up my landline now, it's now been attached to an answering machine so I never answer it personally. A recorded message asks that a message is left and that anyone who knows me already has my mobile number so to phone me on that. I need to have a landline for the broadband or I would just disconnect it. The scammers can have it and chat as long as they like, I am not interested.

Although I am now getting scam calls on my mobile, these calls are instantly terminated and the number blocked. These on the mobile only started after giving that number to a windscreen repair company, after I had a screen on the car cracked, obviously the number was sold on.

It used to be fun to lead the scammers on when they phoned the landline, especially the 'computer scammers'. I make them believe I am taking the bait and appear interested, they mention they work for big companies like BT who they do work for on Microsoft and Windows and that they can fix the problem for me etc., etc. all the usual spiel. Then I ask which of my computers is the problem, no response, then I tell them I use only Apple Macs so which one is it? Instantly the call is ended!

Yes, they're very easy to recognise and, for that reason, they seem to prey on the most easily fooled: old people who know little or nothing about computers for example - like my mother-in-law.
Actually, having said that, they're lucky to get anywhere with her as she's as deaf as a post and strings them along without even being aware that she's doing it!

For example: "Which is the 'any' key?"

last year I had a call from a friend, now we never phone one another, the only contact we have is a xmas card each year, but she phoned and asked if I had called her, which I hadn't, she told me that when she answered her phone my name and number came up , but the caller said he was from BT, and that he could get her a better deal, she hung up...sounded like a scam, but how did my name and number appear on her screen

Amazing! How did they know?

Perhaps the engineer's running a 'sideline'!