How did you lose your money?

Back during the 2006 World Cup -Germany, I know a US Soccer fan (19 yo college kid) who I arrived in Frankfurt from a transatlantic flight, and from the airport went direct to a pub somewhere in the city to meet up with some friends. At the pub he leaves his carry-on bag with all his cash, credit/debit cards, 10 match tickets, laptop and passport below a coat rack. I'm sure you know where this is going.....when he was ready to head out to the hostel, said bag was history:( Check out this video clip about a new ATM scam which is currently active in London: http://youtu.be/NvJnjAC8l14

I've never been pickpocketed (or maybe I have, and the thief found nothing of value so didn't take anything). But I did willingly give away some euros in Gare du Nord in 2007 - a man in a suit came up to me while I was waiting in line to buy train tickets and asked for 3 euros to make a phone call. He said he was desperate and his suit and German accent completely fooled me. I gave him 3 euros and he walked away. Then an American in line ahead of me told me that he just realized he'd seen the guy in the station a few days ago, telling the same story. At the time I was really mad that I had been duped but now I feel that it was a good lesson.

I left my Veloce guide bag in a taxi on the Grand Via in Madrid - never to be seen again. It was a long day, we had driven in from Seville, dropped the rental car and were returning to our hotel after 2 weeks on the road. Didn't lose much money but I lost my P&S camera, GPS and RS guide book! Never rush out of a taxi or other transit. Hopefully I've learned my lesson and luckily my wife takes most of our photos!

I learned my lesson about how brazen people can be when I was a little kid. I had a bumbag with a couple of banknotes in it, was sitting on a public toilet with the bag on the floor in front of me, and somebody reached through the gap under the door, grabbed the money out of the bag, and ran away.

Maryam, We were standing on a train platform in Italy a few years back, next to a gentleman dressed in a very nice suit. He had his bag on the ground between his legs to protect it. An older lady standing behind him, had slipped off her sandal, and was slowly pulling the zipper open with her toes. A small child with her was watching, ready to reach in when she got it open. My wife saw what was happening, alerted the man, and then we all yelled at her. She melted into the crowd like butter, but had to leave her shoe. We all had a good laugh after, but a pretty gutsy move. Funny things you see while traveling. People with their money belts on the outside of their clothes or fanny packs unzipped, able to see their money inside. It a wonder more people aren't "separated" from their money and things.

I admit to a weird soft spot for old drunks.. I have sometimes thrown a coin in their hats as they lay passed out( or nearly so). I know they will drink the money, but hope that with my few coins they can drink something that won't kill them (faster) or make them blind,, as opposed to resorting to colognes or aftershaves( which they stopped selling in downtown convenience stores here because of that very problem)
They are very sick people and I just feel for them,. and thank god that my own mother was able ( with the help of very expensive and exclusive treatment centers) to stop drinking before she ever ended up like that, I believe drugs and alcohol addictions are very very real ,, and there but for the grace of god go many of us. So yes, in some peoples opinions I "waste" my money that way ,, sometimes, just depends .....

I was badly shortchanged by an exchange bureau in 1973, did not recount the money until I had turned my back. If you have to deal with an exchange bureau, now how much to expect, familiarize yourself with the banknotes, recount the money at the counter and do not let anyone rush you.

My son ( age 13 at the time)and I were approached by a pretty teenage girl wearing a headscarf near the Eiffel Tower. She had an index card with her story in English, and spoke broken English about the Bosnia-Serbia conflict where her father killed & her mother took her and sisters abroad. She asked for donation- my son decided to give her a euro from his spending money. He and I had a nice discussion as we had successfully avoided the gold ring scam twice that day already; we thought she might not be telling the truth but if we were wrong he had been generous and if right then he had done well.
After splurging on the elevator at the Tower, we were so tired we stood by the taxi stand deciding whether to use the metro or splurge on a taxi- where we saw her counting her money in handfuls! She was taking a taxi!