I think you are only seeing one side of the issue here. Getting drugged out of your mind and telling strangers your mother maiden name and the name of your childhood pet is just not that common of an occurence. The rare lost $500 may be a worthwhile price to pay, to be able to access your money in a pinch.
Now when we get to 4-digit sums, the balance starts to shift to caution.
One, yes. It was a fair amount for a hard lesson IMO. But also keep in mind that these people were extremely smooth, confident, and "professional". It was a technique, they were not improvising.
The only reason you think this is not a common occurrence is because people don't talk about it, very much like women who are sexually harassed are not vocal about being taken advantage of. Hey, now I know how it feels.
I don't talk about it, but I chose to because the top post suggested that somehow the information that you give out is always under your control. It's not, and this sort of scheme/robbery happens ALL the time.
