Frank abagnale book biography example

On one occasion, he took a batch of bank deposit slips, prefilled his account number and placed them back in the stack. The reason? Abagnale noticed that most people left the account number section blank, but the banks always went by the section if it was filled. Abagnale soon realized that he would have more success with his bad checks if he could showcase an air of authority.

If you want to save this summary for later, download the free PDF and read it whenever you want. Download PDF. Why would anyone become a con-artist as early as age 16? Growing up, his dad had a successful business, and would always secretly give Frank extra money. He even got him a credit card and a cool car. He only saw the gap between his part-time warehouse clerk salary and the things he wanted: money for gas and taking beautiful girls out to dinner.

But eventually, that shortcut became his way of life. Initially pulling off most his credit card, check and pilot scams to impress women, at some point he turned this means into an end. The Greatest Warriors of All Time. Most Bizarre Creatures to Ever Exist. Most Isolated Homes in the World. Last Minute Decisions that Changed History. He decided pilots were highly respected professionals, so he schemed his way into getting a pilot's uniform.

Abagnale called Pan American Airlines' headquarters and told them that he had lost his uniform while traveling.

Frank abagnale book biography example

HQ told him where to go to pick up a new one, which he did — and charged it to the company using a fake employee I. Abagnale then learned all he could about flying — once, by pretending he was a high schooler doing a student newspaper article on Pan Am — and cleverly forged his own pilot's I. His ruse earned him valuable information about how to impersonate a pilot, which he did allegedly in order to hitch rides on planes all across the world.

Once Pan Am and police began catching on to Abagnale's lies, he decided to change identities again, this time becoming an out-of-town doctor in Georgia. When a local doctor came visiting, Abagnale thought his identity was blown — but instead, he was invited to visit the local hospital, where he became a regular visitor and purportedly landed a temporary job.

Abagnale eventually gave up the gig and left town. Over the next two years, Abagnale was said to have bounced from job to job. But eventually, Abagnale's past caught up with him when he settled down in Montpelier, France. When a former girlfriend recognized his face on a wanted poster, she turned him in to authorities. Abagnale served time in France reputedly in the harsh confines of Perpignan, where he became seriously ill , Sweden and the United States for his crimes, during which time his father died.

Abagnale was eventually granted parole after several years from a Petersburg, Virginia prison. He eventually found lecturing work as a white-collar crime specialist, providing information to bank employees about ways to avoid fraud and theft. In exchange for his freedom, the government told Abagnale that he had to educate them about his methods in order to prevent others from defrauding authorities.

The movie later inspired a Broadway musical version which ran for several months in at the Neil Simon Theatre.