Numbers lie constantly in headlines, journal articles, and policy debates. Aaron Brown reveals the specific techniques that transform honest data into quantitative disinformation and shows readers how to extract truth from the chaos. Wrong Number provides a systematic approach to diagnosing errors in media accounts and academic research on prominent public issues. Rather than offering abstract principles, Brown examines real examples where numbers were manipulated, misunderstood, or misrepresented. Each chapter builds practical skills for questioning data sources, identifying common statistical fallacies, and understanding when correlation masquerades as causation in debates that shape public opinion and policy decisions. Beyond identifying deception, this book teaches positive techniques for using quantitative reasoning to find truth. Brown explains how to evaluate competing statistical claims, assess the reliability of data sources, and make smart bets while avoiding dumb ones. Readers can transform from passive consumers of numbers into active evaluators. Learn the answers to: Did USAID funding save 90 million lives? Should the average worker make $102,000? Are curbside buses seven times as dangerous as traditional carriers? Does smiling make you live longer? Should we fear ratpocalypse? Does Medicaid save or cost lives? Is marijuana bad for your heart? Why don't you have a Nobel prize? What is the interest rate in hell?