Number doesn't exist, yet it called me

Shortly after noon Friday, my phone indicated I had missed a call. The phone had not rung or buzzed on in any other way done what it is supposed to do – make a noise at the time of reception. No. It just had an illuminated face with the message:

1 Missed Call
View Now
View Later

I decided to View Now. The number was 501-515-7201. That is the Little Rock area, and since Priscilla and I have been out of Arkansas around six months, I figured somebody might actually be calling. I highlighted the number and pressed “Send.” After one ring, I got a recorded message: “Thank you for using Verizon. The number you called has been changed, disconnected or is no longer in service.”

The time on the missed call was 11:20 a.m. So, between then and before 12:30, the caller lost his/her/its service. Right?

Or, something more ominous is at work here.

I just did a number lookup. Whitepagesdotcom informed me: “Heavy spam activity suspected.” The site also told me the phone number is in Little Rock.

Reversephonelookup.com said, “Scammer calls for money.”

Question: How does a caller identify with a number that has been changed, disconnected or is no longer in service?