Maybe “robbed” is not the exact word, because no violence or threat thereof was used, but I’ve not been pickpocketed either. I have definitively had money stolen from my person.

When I went shopping with my parents today, I was approached by a man who pretended to want to exchange a 2,-€ coin for smaller ones to be able to take the shopping cart. I have looked into my purse and I told him that I do not have the exchange, at which point he started approaching me and touching my purse as if trying to search for the change himself. I batted his hand away several times and I told him to not touch it but he did not understand Czech and he also either did not understand or (possibly) pretended to not understand Russian and German too, despite telling me that he is German. During this exchange, an elderly lady approached and told me that he stole money from her under the same pretense moment ago and that she has just found out when she saw him trying the same thing on me. At which point I closed my purse and endeavored to call the police.

He of course scarpered. I did not attempt to hold him up, I do not think that would be very wise.

Only when talking to the police later and explaining what happened I have found out that despite my attempts at keeping him away, he did successfully manage to snatch some bills from my purse, over 150,-€ worth. I never carry big amounts of cash and I would not have even this much if I had not needed some cash the previous week, of which this was just the rest. I might not have even noticed the theft at all, but I keep € and crown bills separately and the € compartment of my purse was suddenly completely empty.

Any act of kindness won’t go unpunished. The most jarring result of this is that I shall be more wary of panhandlers and generally of anyone asking for any help. I do not feel quite well right now. A shitty human just made me into a worse human too. That pisses me off more than the loss of money.