Catch Me If You Can, the 2002 film directed by Steven Spielberg and starring Leonardo DiCaprio, tells the story of a young con artist named Frank Abagnale who became one of the most notorious impostors in history. Abagnale confidently claims to have held the position of assistant state attorney general in Louisiana, worked as a doctor in Georgia, and successfully impersonated a Pan American World Airways pilot who logged over two million air miles by deadheading. But who is the real Frank Abagnale?
Frank Abagnale Jr. was born in 1948 in the Bronx, New York who began his life of crime at a young age, by impersonating a substitute teacher in his class. From there, he began writing bad checks by using his charm on beautiful bank tellers and eventually graduated to more elaborate schemes, such as impersonating a pilot, a doctor, and a lawyer.
In the movie, DiCaprio's Abagnale is pursued by an FBI agent named Carl Hanratty, played by Tom Hanks. In real life, Abagnale was eventually caught by Hanratty, but not before he had successfully passed millions of dollars in bad checks and lived a life of luxury, living in expensive apartments and traveling the world.
After serving time in prison, Abagnale turned his life around and became a consultant for the FBI, helping to prevent fraud and other white-collar crimes. He has since written several books, including his autobiography, which was the basis for the movie. Abagnale and Hanratty eventually became close friends up to this day, after Frank started helping the FBI.
While the movie takes some liberties with the true story of Frank Abagnale, it does capture the essence of his life as a master con artist. The real Abagnale is a fascinating figure, who has managed to pull off some of the most audacious scams in history.
Today, Frank Abagnale is one of the most highly respected experts on bank security, forgery, embezzlement, and secure documents. He has been sharing his knowledge with financial institutions, corporations, and government agencies for more than 40 years, through lectures and consultations all over the world. His company Abagnale and Associates, focuses on assisting the US government to counter fraud, forgery and other kinds of crime.
Comments