How do you get stuff stolen at a meet?

[4N2NR]

Okay, so maybe this is a n00b type question but I was reading here and on H-T where people made comments about getting their cars and stuff stolen from attending meets. How is this possible?

I am thinking you are right there and only if you go inside a restaurant for an extended time or somehow leave your vehicle open and actually leave you shouldn't be missing a thing. Isn't the purpose of a meet to get together with like minded enthusiasts? I know the question sounds naive but I am aware that not all people who attend meets are someone who you would explicitly trust. But I would be dismayed if I attended a meet and was say down at one end of the line of cars looking around and came back to the other end to discover my stereo gone and nobody knew anything.

Or, is it that you show off your vehicle at a meet and the unsavory characters return to your stables at night and help themselves?

Yes, I realize that if I leave my wallet on the dash that a strong wind will blow it out and down into the storm drain and it probably washed all the way to the Chesapeake Bay even on a perfectly calm sunny day.