Frank W. Abagnale, a former master forger, describes in his book, The Art of the Steal, how a visitor from Argentina was issued a parking ticket on a rental car in Florida. Although the fine was $20, he placed $22.00 in an envelope and mailed it to the Miami city clerk. On receipt of the money, the clerk issued a $2 refund. On receiving the check, the man scanned it into his computer, changed the amount to 1.45 million, and deposited the check into his account in a bank in Argentina. The check was cashed, and the money was transferred. He was never arrested, and the money was not recovered. According to Abagnale, the Argentinian example is not uncommon. Stolen money is often not recovered, and thieves are not caught. Abagnale tells of his own life of forgery and fraudulence in the book Catch Me if You Can. He began his life of crime as a teenager, when he changed a number on his driver’s license to make himself appear 10 years older. After acquiring a small amount of money, he opened a bank account. He came up with the idea to print his account number in magnetic ink on deposit slips and returned him to the bank counter. By the time the bank discovered his fraudulent scheme, he had made over $40,000, and he had already changed his identity. Working with eight different identities, he passed more than $2.5 million dollars in fraudulent checks in 26 countries and throughout the United States.

Frank Abagnale is now a leading consultant in forgery, fraudulence, and secure documents. For more than 25 years, he has consulted with many financial institutions, corporations, and government agencies, such as the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). Today, he teaches and lectures on how to detect forgery, avoid consumer fraud, and prevent crime. Abagnale says that the best way to deal with fraud is to prevent it from happening in the first place.

1. What did the Argentinian man do with the refund check?

2. Describe what Abagnale did to his driver’s license:

3. What kind of ink did he use on his deposit slips?

4. How many identities did Abagnale have?

5. Describe what Abagnale does now: