Lost hiker ignored phone calls from rescuers because they came from unknown number and as someone who receives a million spam calls per day, I get it

From NBC News:

A hiker in Colorado, who was lost for 24 hours, ignored rescuers’ phone calls because “they didn’t recognize the number,” authorities said last week.

“The subject stated they’d lost the trail around nightfall and spent the night searching for the trail, and once on the trail, bounced around onto different trails trying to locate the proper trailhead, finally reaching their car the next morning,” said the Lake County statement. “They had no idea that SAR was out looking for them.”

“One notable take-away is that the subject ignored repeated phone calls from us because they didn’t recognize the number,” the statement continued. “If you’re overdue according to your itinerary, and you start getting repeated calls from an unknown number, please answer the phone; it may be a SAR team trying to confirm you’re safe!”

“Please remember that what seems like common sense in hindsight is not obvious to a subject in the moment when they are lost and panicking,” it said in a comment. “In Colorado, most folks who spend time outdoors have a good understanding of the SAR infrastructure that is there to help them, but this is not the case nationwide. Please keep your comments respectful.”