Spring Break
Infamous con shares advice on life, security, family [VIDEO]
Stephen Lin
Issue date: 3/11/09 Section: News
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Frank Abagnale, one of America's greatest con men, knows a thing or two about identity theft.
More than 35 years ago, Abagnale successfully impersonated a pilot, a doctor, a professor and a lawyer, having his misadventures chronicled in the 2002 movie "Catch Me if You Can."
After being arrested for his crimes and spending four years in prison, Abagnale was released on the condition that he would work on preventing identity theft, embezzlement and forgery for the FBI.
Part of the Fort Collins organization Beet Street's Thought Leader's series, Abagnale came to the Lincoln Center Tuesday to share his insight on the world of identity theft.
The former convict estimated that one person has their identity stolen every four seconds and shared several tips on how to avoid becoming one of the statistics: get a shredder to destroy documents with personal information, find a reliable company that protects and monitors your credit and use credit cards instead of writing checks.
Also, Abagnale recommended that people use a single credit card for all their purchases, saying credit card companies would be liable rather than the cardholder for any fraudulent purchases.
Abagnale also warned of social networking Web sites like Facebook and MySpace, saying, "Be very careful about the information you give away."
Abagnale shared his real-life experiences with identity theft to the crowd of about 200 Fort Collins residents and students.
At age 16, Abagnale ran away from home during his parents divorce, surviving on fraudulent checks.
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