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The Art of the Steal: How to Protect Yourself and Your Business from Fraud, America's #1 Crime
The world--famous former con artist and bestselling author of Catch Me if You Can now reveals the mind--boggling tricks of the scam trade--with advice that has made him one of America's most sought--after fraud--prevention experts.
"I had as much knowledge as any man alive concerning the mechanics of forgery, check swindling, counterfeiting, and other similar crimes. Ever since I'd been released from prison, I'd often felt that if I directed this knowledge into the right channels, I could help people a great deal. Every time I went to the store and wrote a check, I would see two or three mistakes made on the part of the clerk or cashier, mistakes that a flimflam artist would take advantage of. . . . In a certain sense, I'm still a con artist. I'm just putting down a positive con these days, as opposed to the negative con I used in the past. I've merely redirected the talents I've always possessed. I've applied the same relentless attention to working on stopping fraud that I once applied to perpetuating fraud."
In Catch Me if You Can , Frank W. Abagnale recounted his youthful career as a master imposter and forger. In The Art of the Steal , Abagnale tells the remarkable story of how he parlayed his knowledge of cons and scams into a successful career as a consultant on preventing financial foul play--while showing you how to identify and outsmart perpetrators of fraud.
Technology may have made it easier to track down criminals, but cyberspace has spawned a skyrocketing number of ways to commit crime--much of it untraceable. Businesses are estimated to lose an unprecedented $400 billion a year from fraud of one sort or another. If we were able to do away with fraud for just two years, we'd erase the national debt and pay Social Security for the next one hundred years. However, Abagnale has discovered that punishment for committing fraud, much less recovery of stolen funds, seldom Once you're a victim, you won't get your money back. Prevention is the best form of protection.
Drawn from his twenty-five years of experience as an ingenious con artist (whose check scams alone mounted to more than $2 million in stolen funds), Abagnale's The Art of the Steal provides eye-opening stories of true scams, with tips on how they can be prevented. Abagnale takes you deep inside the world and mind of the con artist, showing you just how he pulled off his scams and what you can do to avoid becoming the next victim. You'll hear the stories of notorious swindles, like the mustard squirter trick and the "rock in the box" ploy, and meet the criminals like the famous Vickers Gang who perpetrated them. You'll find out why crooks wash checks and iron credit cards and why a thief brings glue with him to the ATM. And finally, you'll learn how to recognize a bogus check or a counterfeit bill, and why you shouldn't write your grocery list on a deposit slip.
A revealing look inside the predatory criminal mind from a former master of the con, The Art of the Steal is the ultimate defense against even the craftiest crook.
"I had as much knowledge as any man alive concerning the mechanics of forgery, check swindling, counterfeiting, and other similar crimes. Ever since I'd been released from prison, I'd often felt that if I directed this knowledge into the right channels, I could help people a great deal. Every time I went to the store and wrote a check, I would see two or three mistakes made on the part of the clerk or cashier, mistakes that a flimflam artist would take advantage of. . . . In a certain sense, I'm still a con artist. I'm just putting down a positive con these days, as opposed to the negative con I used in the past. I've merely redirected the talents I've always possessed. I've applied the same relentless attention to working on stopping fraud that I once applied to perpetuating fraud."
In Catch Me if You Can , Frank W. Abagnale recounted his youthful career as a master imposter and forger. In The Art of the Steal , Abagnale tells the remarkable story of how he parlayed his knowledge of cons and scams into a successful career as a consultant on preventing financial foul play--while showing you how to identify and outsmart perpetrators of fraud.
Technology may have made it easier to track down criminals, but cyberspace has spawned a skyrocketing number of ways to commit crime--much of it untraceable. Businesses are estimated to lose an unprecedented $400 billion a year from fraud of one sort or another. If we were able to do away with fraud for just two years, we'd erase the national debt and pay Social Security for the next one hundred years. However, Abagnale has discovered that punishment for committing fraud, much less recovery of stolen funds, seldom Once you're a victim, you won't get your money back. Prevention is the best form of protection.
Drawn from his twenty-five years of experience as an ingenious con artist (whose check scams alone mounted to more than $2 million in stolen funds), Abagnale's The Art of the Steal provides eye-opening stories of true scams, with tips on how they can be prevented. Abagnale takes you deep inside the world and mind of the con artist, showing you just how he pulled off his scams and what you can do to avoid becoming the next victim. You'll hear the stories of notorious swindles, like the mustard squirter trick and the "rock in the box" ploy, and meet the criminals like the famous Vickers Gang who perpetrated them. You'll find out why crooks wash checks and iron credit cards and why a thief brings glue with him to the ATM. And finally, you'll learn how to recognize a bogus check or a counterfeit bill, and why you shouldn't write your grocery list on a deposit slip.
A revealing look inside the predatory criminal mind from a former master of the con, The Art of the Steal is the ultimate defense against even the craftiest crook.
225 pages, Paperback
First published January 29, 2002
59 people are currently reading
1271 people want to read
About the author
Frank W. Abagnale
19 books290 followersBorn and raised in the Westchester County city of Bronxville, New York, Abagnale attended Iona Preparatory School, an all boys Catholic high school which is run by the Irish Christian Brothers. He was the third of four children (two brothers and one sister) born to a French mother, Paula Abagnale, and an American father, Frank William Abagnale, Sr.
One of the early signs of his future as a fraudster came when, after purchasing a car, he persuaded his father to lend him his Mobil card. With this card, he would purchase large quantities of car parts, such as tires, batteries, engines and fuel. The purchases were on paper only, the goods were never taken from the shelves. In an agreement with the gas station attendant, he would then immediately return the items for cash for less than the price at which they were purchased, the remainder being pocketed by the attendant. Not realizing that the card was in his father's name, he tricked his dad out of $3400, doing this to pay for dates, before the local Mobil branch sought his father out for questioning and expecting payment. Upon being confronted, Abagnale confessed to his father that "it's the girls that make me crazy", but escaped punishment for the incident. Later, his mother placed him for four months in a special Catholic Charities school for juvenile offenders.
In 1964, when he was 16, his parents divorced. The experience was so traumatic that he ran away during a court break. It was the last time he saw his father, though he renewed contact with his mother after seven years.
Living alone in New York City after running away, he became known as the "Big Nale", later shortened to just "Big". He decided to exploit his mature appearance and alter his driver's license to make it appear that he was ten years older to get a job. However Abagnale, posing as a high school dropout in his mid-twenties, quickly learned the more education one has, the more one is paid. Desperate to survive, he soon began working as a confidence trickster to earn money.
He has since become the founder of a secure-document corporation based in Washington DC. He lectures regularly worldwide and lives in the Midwest with his wife and three sons.
One of the early signs of his future as a fraudster came when, after purchasing a car, he persuaded his father to lend him his Mobil card. With this card, he would purchase large quantities of car parts, such as tires, batteries, engines and fuel. The purchases were on paper only, the goods were never taken from the shelves. In an agreement with the gas station attendant, he would then immediately return the items for cash for less than the price at which they were purchased, the remainder being pocketed by the attendant. Not realizing that the card was in his father's name, he tricked his dad out of $3400, doing this to pay for dates, before the local Mobil branch sought his father out for questioning and expecting payment. Upon being confronted, Abagnale confessed to his father that "it's the girls that make me crazy", but escaped punishment for the incident. Later, his mother placed him for four months in a special Catholic Charities school for juvenile offenders.
In 1964, when he was 16, his parents divorced. The experience was so traumatic that he ran away during a court break. It was the last time he saw his father, though he renewed contact with his mother after seven years.
Living alone in New York City after running away, he became known as the "Big Nale", later shortened to just "Big". He decided to exploit his mature appearance and alter his driver's license to make it appear that he was ten years older to get a job. However Abagnale, posing as a high school dropout in his mid-twenties, quickly learned the more education one has, the more one is paid. Desperate to survive, he soon began working as a confidence trickster to earn money.
He has since become the founder of a secure-document corporation based in Washington DC. He lectures regularly worldwide and lives in the Midwest with his wife and three sons.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 78 reviews
October 17, 2015
This would have been better to read 10 years ago. Today, a lot of it is only interesting for historical value - what he noticed, what should have changed, & what actually has. Many of the scams are too well known, but it's still a good refresher. If nothing else, the fact that so many are still so possible & popular should be a good warning.
He read the book well & it was interesting to get some personal takes of his history. It sounds as if he's made a successful career out of being a security consultant even if he wasn't all that great in the computer field. He thinks like a crook, knows the chances they'll take, & what effort they'll go to. If nothing else, much of the content is helpful in a general sense. A lot of scams haven't changed in centuries, they've just moved to different technologies. For instance, the Spanish Prisoner is now known as the Nigerian Email scam.
He also did a great job of showing just how little information it takes to steal an identity & which ones can be used best for leverage. The sad thing is that in the 15 years since this book was written, few of the holes have been plugged. The biggest one is our social security number. It's ridiculous how important it is yet how many have access to it. The credit agencies exacerbate identity theft, too.
Normal computer users may well get something out of his warnings on them, but I do it for a living. I was disappointed that he didn't point out the biggest flaw in our email system - anyone can send an email as anyone else & that is often used to scam people. So you get an email from a familiar name, open it, click on a link or attachment & wind up in the trick bag. Numerous methods for securing email have been tried, but none have become popular.
I did learn a few things & it certainly wasn't a waste of time. This book was highly relevant in its time, but that was over a decade ago & I've had a lot of this shoved in my face for most of that time even if I am only tangentially involved in this aspect of security.
He read the book well & it was interesting to get some personal takes of his history. It sounds as if he's made a successful career out of being a security consultant even if he wasn't all that great in the computer field. He thinks like a crook, knows the chances they'll take, & what effort they'll go to. If nothing else, much of the content is helpful in a general sense. A lot of scams haven't changed in centuries, they've just moved to different technologies. For instance, the Spanish Prisoner is now known as the Nigerian Email scam.
He also did a great job of showing just how little information it takes to steal an identity & which ones can be used best for leverage. The sad thing is that in the 15 years since this book was written, few of the holes have been plugged. The biggest one is our social security number. It's ridiculous how important it is yet how many have access to it. The credit agencies exacerbate identity theft, too.
Normal computer users may well get something out of his warnings on them, but I do it for a living. I was disappointed that he didn't point out the biggest flaw in our email system - anyone can send an email as anyone else & that is often used to scam people. So you get an email from a familiar name, open it, click on a link or attachment & wind up in the trick bag. Numerous methods for securing email have been tried, but none have become popular.
I did learn a few things & it certainly wasn't a waste of time. This book was highly relevant in its time, but that was over a decade ago & I've had a lot of this shoved in my face for most of that time even if I am only tangentially involved in this aspect of security.
January 11, 2015
The vast knowledge and scam tricks revealed by Frank Abagnale is scary! This book was written 13 years ago and I cannot imagine how destructive fraud and scam can be today...
Very interesting book even though a few of the scams revealed might not be as relevant today as they were 10-15 years ago.
Very interesting book even though a few of the scams revealed might not be as relevant today as they were 10-15 years ago.
February 28, 2011
The one thing I did not expect is that this book would be funny, but it totally is. I "read" the audiobook, and when the narrator deadpanned that the title of one chapter is "Forgery: Hours of Fun!" I actually snorted, causing everyone else on the train to turn around and stare.
I suspect that many of the criticisms of this book will be based on its timeliness; for example, many people don't use checks at all nowadays, and thus an entire chapter on check fraud may not interest them that much. But even though I may not find check fraud all that relevant for myself, I still find the information pretty fascinating, just not something I would use on a day-to-day basis.
The only thing I think I could do without is the occasional moralizing; Abagnale loooves to tell us that the reason there's more fraud today is because people are greedier and their families don't imbue them with the same sense of morality as previous generations. I'm not sure that's true, or that there's any real research to back that up; it comes across as very "When *I* was your age" + "get off my lawn, you damn kids." The good news is that these segments tend to be few and far between.
I would definitely recommend this book; it's a good, amusing, informative read.
I suspect that many of the criticisms of this book will be based on its timeliness; for example, many people don't use checks at all nowadays, and thus an entire chapter on check fraud may not interest them that much. But even though I may not find check fraud all that relevant for myself, I still find the information pretty fascinating, just not something I would use on a day-to-day basis.
The only thing I think I could do without is the occasional moralizing; Abagnale loooves to tell us that the reason there's more fraud today is because people are greedier and their families don't imbue them with the same sense of morality as previous generations. I'm not sure that's true, or that there's any real research to back that up; it comes across as very "When *I* was your age" + "get off my lawn, you damn kids." The good news is that these segments tend to be few and far between.
I would definitely recommend this book; it's a good, amusing, informative read.
April 1, 2021
The Art of the Steal: How to Protect Yourself and Your Business from Fraud, America's #1 Crime by Frank W. Abagnale, world-famous former con artist and bestselling author of Catch Me if You Can, made into a film version, now reveals the tricks of the scam trade and explains how many of the most popular ones actually work, how to recognize them, and how to avoid falling for them. Frank provides a brief overview of his life of crime and how he eventually served prison time and now provides consulting services to various companies and government organizations to help them detect and prevent fraud using his vast personal knowledge and experience as detailed in his book. I'm always amazed to see how some people seem to have a kind of mind that sees the same thing we all do but then gravitates to schemes for how to take advantage of the system and commit fraud. And I have to wonder why they don't use that special knowledge and ability to make good money legally by helping people. Some of those with an inclination to commit fraud may learn a few new tricks for their crime bag as the author explains in some detail how various scams work concerning the mechanics of forgery, check swindling, counterfeiting, and other similar crimes. In Catch Me if You Can, Frank W. Abagnale recounted his youthful career as a master imposter and forger. In his other book, The Art of the Steal, he tells the remarkable story of how he parlayed his knowledge of cons and scams into a successful career as a consultant on preventing financial foul play--while showing you how to identify and outsmart perpetrators of fraud. He explains that businesses are estimated to lose an unprecedented $400 billion a year from fraud of one sort or another. If we were able to do away with fraud for just two years, we'd erase the national debt and pay Social Security for the next one hundred years according to the author. I unreservedly highly recommend this book and others by this author to help protect yourself by being aware of the scams used by fraudsters.
May 18, 2013
Frank Abagnale is best known for being portrayed by Leonardo Dicaprio in Catch Me If You Can, the true story of how he defrauded millions of dollars while impersonating airline pilots, doctors, and lawyers, all before the age of 21. Abagnale is a conman's conman, a true master of manipulation and exploitation. Luckily for the public, after serving his time in prison in three countries, Abagnale went straight, and has worked as a security consultant for law enforcement and private firms for the last few decades. This book is his attempt to educate laymen about various cons and how to avoid getting taken in by them.
The best part of this book is the explanation of all the creative ways that people have invented to defraud one another. My favorite was the guy who registered an 847 number (like a 900 number but less recognizable) for $35 a minute, then would go through the yellow pages, leaving messages with businesses for them to call him back at his 847 number. He made over a million dollars with this simple scam, and never got caught or indicted. But most of the scams are far less imaginative and mostly have to do with getting ahold of someone's checkbook or altering a check they wrote. The US is the only western country that still relies on checks for business, and check fraud dwarfs all other forms. The chapter on embezzlement was also fascinating, if for no other reason than that most embezzlers run their schemes for years without anyone suspecting a thing. White-collar crime is incredibly easy to commit, and isn't punished at near the same level as other crimes (e.g. a bank robbery, which nets a paltry $5,000 on average, gets you more time in jail than stealing $1M from your employer).
Much of the book is rather dry, consisting of common-sense advice to avoid these scams. Most of it boils down to: don't reveal personal information about yourself, and only do business with reputable people you know if you plan to pay with check or card. Even then, review your statements every month to make sure you won't be held liable if someone skimmed your card number.
Abagnale is an old-school con artist, so it's no surprise that digital payment and the internet in particular leave such a bad taste in his mouth. He's badly out of his depth in his chapters addressing these topics, and it hurts the overall quality of the book. To be fair to him, he was writing at a time when online fraud was much more common, when automated fraud detection on the part of credit companies was in its infancy. But when he makes indefensible statements to the effect that, as the number of online transactions grows it will become harder for credit agencies to spot fraud (the opposite is true), he reveals his fundamental ignorance on the topic.
Overall The Art of the Steal is a quick and entertaining read, written in a straightforward and engaging style. I wouldn't recommend it as a personal security manual, but for someone interested in white collar crime and con artists in general, it's a fun read.
The best part of this book is the explanation of all the creative ways that people have invented to defraud one another. My favorite was the guy who registered an 847 number (like a 900 number but less recognizable) for $35 a minute, then would go through the yellow pages, leaving messages with businesses for them to call him back at his 847 number. He made over a million dollars with this simple scam, and never got caught or indicted. But most of the scams are far less imaginative and mostly have to do with getting ahold of someone's checkbook or altering a check they wrote. The US is the only western country that still relies on checks for business, and check fraud dwarfs all other forms. The chapter on embezzlement was also fascinating, if for no other reason than that most embezzlers run their schemes for years without anyone suspecting a thing. White-collar crime is incredibly easy to commit, and isn't punished at near the same level as other crimes (e.g. a bank robbery, which nets a paltry $5,000 on average, gets you more time in jail than stealing $1M from your employer).
Much of the book is rather dry, consisting of common-sense advice to avoid these scams. Most of it boils down to: don't reveal personal information about yourself, and only do business with reputable people you know if you plan to pay with check or card. Even then, review your statements every month to make sure you won't be held liable if someone skimmed your card number.
Abagnale is an old-school con artist, so it's no surprise that digital payment and the internet in particular leave such a bad taste in his mouth. He's badly out of his depth in his chapters addressing these topics, and it hurts the overall quality of the book. To be fair to him, he was writing at a time when online fraud was much more common, when automated fraud detection on the part of credit companies was in its infancy. But when he makes indefensible statements to the effect that, as the number of online transactions grows it will become harder for credit agencies to spot fraud (the opposite is true), he reveals his fundamental ignorance on the topic.
Overall The Art of the Steal is a quick and entertaining read, written in a straightforward and engaging style. I wouldn't recommend it as a personal security manual, but for someone interested in white collar crime and con artists in general, it's a fun read.
October 7, 2011
This is a much better book than Catch Me if You Can. It simply presents the information clearly and includes some interesting stories along the way. I wish Mr. Abagnale had written the other book instead of his co-writer.
December 11, 2024
Quite interesting while also scary as to how vulnerable everyone is to cons. There are some truly ingenius cons he mentions, which just made wonder, they could have legitimately made more money as were putting in so much effort anyway.
This was written about 2 decades ago, and shows the susceptibility we had to exposure of our data, this was prior to mass adoption to major tech like mails and computers. The rise of technology and clear accessibility to our data now, makes us all the more likely targets.
There is some paranoia on his part in terms of all measures he suggests, which i guess can be expected considering deals with such issues daily. However, going through this does make lose some faith in humanity. Some of the cons are plain vile and came away with a certain distaste.
The good, it does is emphasise the need to be vigilant with your personal details. While you do maintain the common sense principles to a reasonabe extent, doubt in this day and age wouldn't be possible for such people to get access to the data. So come away just feeling susceptible and abit doom and gloom post it.
This was written about 2 decades ago, and shows the susceptibility we had to exposure of our data, this was prior to mass adoption to major tech like mails and computers. The rise of technology and clear accessibility to our data now, makes us all the more likely targets.
There is some paranoia on his part in terms of all measures he suggests, which i guess can be expected considering deals with such issues daily. However, going through this does make lose some faith in humanity. Some of the cons are plain vile and came away with a certain distaste.
The good, it does is emphasise the need to be vigilant with your personal details. While you do maintain the common sense principles to a reasonabe extent, doubt in this day and age wouldn't be possible for such people to get access to the data. So come away just feeling susceptible and abit doom and gloom post it.
February 11, 2017
Great book. Now I'm totally paranoid!
March 31, 2022
I really enjoy hearing of the specific scams here, much of them around checks like "IRS" becoming "MRS SMITH" etc. and laser printer forgeries, credit card applications, etc. So much seems quaint and even antique in this digital era. Abagnale holds his digital era concerns -- and they are earnest -- to a final chapter. One interesting thing was pointing out how the very hard to forge US passport can be obtained by easily forged or stolen birth certifications and social security cards. Time for a national birth certificate standard and registry?
October 8, 2023
Identity theft is still a growing concern and people still do not take enough care when disposing of documents containing personal data. 'The Art of the Steal' is over twenty years old and Abagnale provides plenty of advice on why it is imperative to be personally responsible for your own data security.
Easy to understand and easy to implement, Abagnale's advice is still relevant in today's society, even if cheques have become much more rare in this generation.
Easy to understand and easy to implement, Abagnale's advice is still relevant in today's society, even if cheques have become much more rare in this generation.
August 8, 2019
Interesting but it hasn't aged well.
July 8, 2019
“The Art of the Steal” is a near terrifying insight into how to recognize and avoid cons and scams. Or, as even the author says, pull them off. He knows some people will use this book as a DIY con game manual. It’s that good. I’m now debating listening to his third book “Stealing Your Life,” as I’m sure it’s bound to frighten me more. But also educate me. I now know there are certain steps I need to take on behalf of my mom and I for protection because this kind of crime is rampant and only growing.
April 7, 2018
I liked the movie Catch Me If You Can and I read Frank’s Frank Abagnale’s first book of the same title. The intent of this book was to get inside the head of a con artist/thief with the intent of showing you how to prevent crime from happening in your own life. For me, the best part was more on Frank Abagnale’s background. There were some great insights into what he did and what state criminal justice was like at the time. Overall, the book gave some great insight into the sophisticated mind of a criminal. It reminded me of the book: Social Engineering by Kevin Mitnick. The main take away is that people can be greedy and gullible. Criminals take advantage of this. I recommend reading this book, but I think it is time for: The Art of the Steal 2.0. The information in the book is dated with regards to technology and many criminals in different countries using the Internet for scams. It would be nice to read Franks thoughts on topics such as Facebook.
October 21, 2023
I thought this book was really well detailed in discussing different types of fraud, white collar crimes, and financial cons. Written by Frank W. Abagnale, the real person who Leo plays in Catch Me If You Can, he clearly knows what he's talking about having scammed so many people and forged many cheques. While, the book is a little dated (being published in 2001), it's not the book's fault, it's just the way of the world and time, but there is still a lot of vital information in this book on how to protect yourself and your workplace from the effects of theft. For a financial type book, it was easy to read and entertaining, and yet you can tell that Abagnale is an intelligent man by the way he writes, but at the same time, he's able to break down specifics to make it clear to anyone. It also made me want to do certain tests on cheques to see if they have the protective fraud-preventing details. It was a fun one, but also made me a more cautious person when it comes to money.
July 6, 2021
Es un libro un tanto anacronico, algunos consejos quedan fuera del actual proceso liquido por el qué nuestra sociedad esta pasando actualmente
Me encanta lo grafico del libro y lo dijerible, un libro super rápido de leer
Tuve la oportunidad de leerlo en dispositivo apple y En algún punto me lastimaba la vista las imágenes en de letras,ese es un punto negativo para el formato digital
Es bueno leer el libro sin juzgar el pasado el autor, aunque en parte es su culpa por utilizar su NOVELA "atrapame si puedes" como gancho para vender este libro
Recomendado para una lectura rápida, si alguien te regalo el libro
Me encanta lo grafico del libro y lo dijerible, un libro super rápido de leer
Tuve la oportunidad de leerlo en dispositivo apple y En algún punto me lastimaba la vista las imágenes en de letras,ese es un punto negativo para el formato digital
Es bueno leer el libro sin juzgar el pasado el autor, aunque en parte es su culpa por utilizar su NOVELA "atrapame si puedes" como gancho para vender este libro
Recomendado para una lectura rápida, si alguien te regalo el libro
November 20, 2019
I read this in one day (because I couldn't stop). For people who aren't familiar with Frank Abagnale, the first chapter is essentially his life story (as told in the film _Catch Me If You Can_ with DiCaprio and Tom Hanks). But every chapter after that discusses different types of scams that people might face: from bad checks, to credit card fraud, to counterfeiting- this book not only gives anecdotes about what scammers have done, but it also gives specific steps that WE can take in order to avoid being scammed.
June 19, 2022
4.5 stars.
This one is hard to rate because, although Frank Abagnale knows his stuff, having been written 20 years ago, much of the information in this book is outdated. Even given that, this book is both entertaining and informative.
If you haven't done it already, read Abagnale's memoir, Catch Me If You Can. If you intend to also watch the movie, do the movie first. It's a great movie, but it pales in comparison to the book, which is mind-blowingly good.
This one is hard to rate because, although Frank Abagnale knows his stuff, having been written 20 years ago, much of the information in this book is outdated. Even given that, this book is both entertaining and informative.
If you haven't done it already, read Abagnale's memoir, Catch Me If You Can. If you intend to also watch the movie, do the movie first. It's a great movie, but it pales in comparison to the book, which is mind-blowingly good.
September 21, 2018
August 2018. I listened to about half of this book. I enjoy Frank Abagnale's narration of his own book-he is quite a character. But the book was published almost 17 years ago, so it is out of date since technology has advanced so much. I decided not to finish it for that reason. It would be good background material for a fiction writer who needed to incorporate timely technology for around 2000.
October 3, 2018
This book, and Mr Abagnale's first one have great information to protect your identity.
Even though this book is 18 years old, the things in here will help you to protect your identity. Identity theft becomes bigger every year, and we all need to be concerned
Thank you Mr Abagnale for writing these books,and letting yourself be caught!
Even though this book is 18 years old, the things in here will help you to protect your identity. Identity theft becomes bigger every year, and we all need to be concerned
Thank you Mr Abagnale for writing these books,and letting yourself be caught!
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June 17, 2022Written by the real-life man of "Catch Me If You Can." He is a con artist turned con-artist catcher. This book is written to enlighten the average man on various cons and how to avoid them. I found it fascinating! It is quite dated in parts (maybe written in 2002) but the premise remains and lots of fascinating information.
December 23, 2018
Wholly US-centric and largely outdated, though an interesting look into how things used to be. Very little information on how to protect one's business from fraudsters, which is a let-down given the title.
April 4, 2021
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แฟรงก์ อนาเบล เป็นผู้ชายเจ้าสเน่ห์ ไม่สงสัยเลยเพราะลีลาการเขียนของเขาก็บอกถึงสิ่งนั้นเช่นกัน
หัก 1 คะแนน ด้วยความที่เล่มนี้แปลไว้ตั้งแต่ 2545 บางเรื่องราวฉ้อฉลจึงดูวินเทจไปสักหน่อย
แฟรงก์ อนาเบล เป็นผู้ชายเจ้าสเน่ห์ ไม่สงสัยเลยเพราะลีลาการเขียนของเขาก็บอกถึงสิ่งนั้นเช่นกัน
หัก 1 คะแนน ด้วยความที่เล่มนี้แปลไว้ตั้งแต่ 2545 บางเรื่องราวฉ้อฉลจึงดูวินเทจไปสักหน่อย
May 31, 2022
Quick-paced book on how to protect oneself from various frauds schemes. Much of the book is dated but many of the principles are sound and even with banking experience I was surprised at the ease of some fraud schemes that were described.
September 5, 2024
A dated read that was groundbreaking at the time that it was published. Still good information, but like time, technology marches onwards. Still, I enjoy Frank's style of writing, and he has some points of view that I have not thought about. A good read.
January 2, 2018
Great book and very informative. It's a little dated nowadays and I'd love to see him come out with another.
January 21, 2018
***1/2
Outdated but hilarious.
Outdated but hilarious.
January 20, 2018
This book's good for you to get know about forgery, scam and identify thefts.
May 5, 2019
this book is great , have many terms , open my eyes , and made me careful in taking care of my identity and financials.
i recommend this book to every living individual.
i recommend this book to every living individual.
December 26, 2019
Published only in 2013, this book reveals old fraud techniques and new ones, and how to protect yourself. Well worth the read.
September 8, 2022
Good read, I picked up some useful information that I'll definitely remind myself on in the future to protect myself financially.
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