Frank Abagnale was an airline pilot, a doctor, a U.S. Bureau of Prisons agent, a sociology professor & an attorney — all before he was 21.
He put on a uniform & earned the trust of the people in charge.
"Some books are judged by their covers — and I was a best-seller."
👇👇👇
He put on a uniform & earned the trust of the people in charge.
"Some books are judged by their covers — and I was a best-seller."
👇👇👇
Following his parents' devastating divorce, Abagnale ran away from home at age 16 and became one of the most famous impostors ever, claiming to have assumed no fewer than eight identities.
He escaped from police custody twice — once from a taxiing airliner and once from prison.
He escaped from police custody twice — once from a taxiing airliner and once from prison.
Abagnale cashed over $2.5M in forged checks, donned a pilot's uniform and co-piloted a Pan Am jet, and he practiced law without a license.
Known by the police of 26 foreign countries and all 50 states as "The Skywayman," Abagnale lived a life on the run.
Known by the police of 26 foreign countries and all 50 states as "The Skywayman," Abagnale lived a life on the run.
People often refer to Abagnale as "the greatest con man of all time." But according to him, he was "more of an opportunist who saw things & took advantage of them."
Eventually, Abagnale realized you couldn't be both a con man & a conscientious man, but he was in too deep.
Eventually, Abagnale realized you couldn't be both a con man & a conscientious man, but he was in too deep.
"Towards the end, I almost wanted to be caught," he says. "It was a very, very lonely way to live.”
He was eventually arrested in 1969.
Abagnale served 5 years in prison before starting to work with the US Gov for 40+ years as an adviser on identity theft, cyber crime & fraud
He was eventually arrested in 1969.
Abagnale served 5 years in prison before starting to work with the US Gov for 40+ years as an adviser on identity theft, cyber crime & fraud
In 2002, Steven Spielberg directed Catch Me If You Can, a film based on his life in which Leo DiCaprio portrays him as a young man.
Spielberg said, "I did not make this film about Frank Abagnale because of what he did, but b/c of what he has done with his life the past 30 years"
Spielberg said, "I did not make this film about Frank Abagnale because of what he did, but b/c of what he has done with his life the past 30 years"
Abagnale has turned down 3 pardons for his crimes from three sitting presidents of the United States.
"I don't believe that a piece of paper will excuse my actions," he says. "In the end, only my actions will."
"I don't believe that a piece of paper will excuse my actions," he says. "In the end, only my actions will."
This is a story about losing your identity, falling into a life of deception, taking responsibility for your actions, and getting a second chance at life.
Here's how Abagnale transformed from the world’s most notorious con man to a cybersecurity expert.
theprofile.substack.com/p/frank-abagna…
Here's how Abagnale transformed from the world’s most notorious con man to a cybersecurity expert.
theprofile.substack.com/p/frank-abagna…
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