Vote now: Do you answer calls from unknown numbers?

Let me tell you a story. Last year, a young man went missing in the Colorado mountains. It was late October and Mount Elbert was getting cold and dangerous. The hiker failed to check in on time at the place where he was staying and was reported missing.

The whole search operation continued for more than 24 hours, and concluded with a happy ending - the man managed to find his way back to his car and basically rescued himself.

The funny part is that he had no idea that people were looking for him because he didn’t answer the calls from the search and rescue team. He said it was an unknown number. Now, that’s just a meme-worthy funny story but it begs the question - should one answer calls from unknown numbers?

Well, if you’re in the mountains and late for your check-in, the answer should be yes. But then again, there are countless cases of phone scams and potentially dangerous calls making the news every day.

So, we’re interested to find out what your policy about calls from unknown numbers really is? For me, personally, it depends. If the caller is persistent and the area code shows they're in my country, I take the call. Otherwise, it's a hard ignore.

Things are getting more complicated when you’re on holiday in a different country - that call could be anybody - from your travel agent, to the Airbnb host you’re staying with. So, do you answer calls from unknown numbers, and if so - under what circumstances?

Vote in our poll and share your mystery stories in the comments below.