If a caller is legitimate, they'll leave a number and a message and they won't keep calling.
If the caller is a scammer, then the number may be spoofed, so if you do reach someone, it may be an innocent party or it might be a non-working number.
If the caller is a scammer and you do get a real phone number, then all you are doing is confirming that they reached a valid number - and they'll sell your number to other scammers.
I just received a call from this number but did not answer. I looked it up here instead. It registered "VOIP call" on the CID.
Hey, they busted a MAJOR robo-call ring last week! WOO HOO!! That will bring the number of back-brace calls down at least a little bit. I'd like to believe it was because we all put our information about them here and they were able to connect the dots. Come what may it's all we can do.
Look out though when they get out of incarceration. The calls will begin again, but the numbers will be different. Here's to a season of a little peace, anyway!