In 1991, I was working in a joint-venture company in GuangDong. There was a guy who was looking for job after he got Master's degree from Tsinghua. This guy worked with us in a same institute in Shanghai before we all left there several years before that. He stayed with us for couple of weeks. He did not land any job and when he was about to leave, he told us he ran out of money and need help. Three of us (X. Y. Z.) give him 100 RMB each. The guy told us he would return the money as soon as he got back to Beijing.
Then same story, he disapeared. Later on, one friend without knowing this happened to meet him and asked him if he knew X. Y. and Z. He said NO.
It is not much of money, but he just shown his charater and tought us a lesson.
You lend money out only when you do not expect it back.