I had a great time on my recent trip to Panama and Costa Rica, with the hi/lo point being pickpocketed the night before I was to return to the US at some festival in Palmares near the capital San Jose. It was a crowded music venue filled with Costa Rican teenagers, and while I was in line waiting to get a beer, I noticed that my front left pocket was unusually empty. My wallet was missing!
Overwhelmed by instant panic, I started screaming and cursing like a madman, and within a minute or so, my wallet magically appeared on the floor with all its zippers opened. The perpetrator had taken the money (about 50 dollars worth Costa Rican colones, intended for the taxi ride to the airport and the "exit tax") and my debit card, but miraculously, not my credit card nor my passport. Possibly my quick noticing of the crime and subsequent screaming "Who took my wallet you f*ckers!" frightened them into dropping it immediately. "Ooh, big gringo is yelling! Let's get out of here!"
I reported the theft of my debit card to the credit union immediately upon return to the hotel, and I later found out that they had used the debit card as a credit card to buy dinner at some restaurant. Again, surprisingly, I was compensated for it by the credit union quite quickly, so ultimately the damage was minimal.
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