Frank Abagnale
A former teenage con artist who forged millions in bad checks and impersonated a pilot, then rebuilt his life as a top fraud prevention advisor.
Born 1948 (age 78)·American security consultant and convicted fraudster·Birthday: April 27·Baby Boomers
Biography
Frank Abagnale’s story is a classic American reinvention, moving from wanted fugitive to respected authority. As a clever, runaway teenager in the 1960s, he executed audacious cons, cashing over $2.5 million in forged checks across 26 countries while posing as an airline pilot, a doctor, and a lawyer. Captured in France at 21, he served time before the U.S. government, recognizing his unique genius, quietly recruited him to help federal agencies understand forgery and secure financial systems. For decades, his consulting firm has advised hundreds of financial institutions and corporations. His autobiography, 'Catch Me If You Can,' and its film adaptation cemented his myth, but his later career is a serious, decades-long effort to lock the doors he once picked open.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Frank was born in 1948, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Frank Was Born
The biggest hits of 1948
#1 Movie
The Red Shoes
Best Picture
Hamlet
#1 TV Show
Texaco Star Theatre
Frank's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1948Born
Israel declares independence; Berlin Blockade begins
Gas: $0.26/galHome: $7,450Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Twelfth Street Rag" — Pee Wee HuntBest Picture: Hamlet
1953Started school
DNA structure discovered by Watson and Crick
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $8,750Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Song from Moulin Rouge" — Percy FaithBest Picture: From Here to Eternity
1961Became a teenager
Yuri Gagarin becomes the first human in space
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $12,500Min wage: $1.15/hrPresident: John F. Kennedy"Tossin' and Turnin'" — Bobby LewisBest Picture: West Side Story
1964Could drive
Civil Rights Act signed; Beatles arrive in America
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $13,450Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"I Want to Hold Your Hand" — The BeatlesBest Picture: My Fair Lady
1966Could vote
Star Trek premieres on television
Gas: $0.32/galHome: $14,200Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"The Ballad of the Green Berets" — SSgt Barry SadlerBest Picture: A Man for All Seasons
1969Turned 21
Apollo 11: humans walk on the Moon; Woodstock festival
Gas: $0.35/galHome: $15,550Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Sugar, Sugar" — The ArchiesBest Picture: Midnight Cowboy
1978Turned 30
First test-tube baby born
Gas: $0.63/galHome: $35,300Min wage: $2.65/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Shadow Dancing" — Andy GibbBest Picture: The Deer Hunter
1988Turned 40
Pan Am Flight 103 bombed over Lockerbie
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $74,800Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Faith" — George MichaelBest Picture: Rain Man
1998Turned 50
Google founded; Clinton impeachment
Gas: $1.06/galHome: $107,300Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Too Close" — NextBest Picture: Shakespeare in Love
2008Turned 60
Barack Obama elected first Black US president; financial crisis
Gas: $3.27/galHome: $153,100Min wage: $6.55/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Low" — Flo RidaBest Picture: Slumdog Millionaire
2018Turned 70
Royal wedding of Harry and Meghan; Parkland shooting
Gas: $2.72/galHome: $211,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"God's Plan" — DrakeBest Picture: Green Book
2026Age 78 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- His life story was immortalized in the bestselling autobiography 'Catch Me If You Can,' later adapted into a major motion picture directed by Steven Spielberg.
- Founded Abagnale & Associates, a highly respected security consulting firm that advises hundreds of corporations and government agencies worldwide.
- Served as a lecturer for the FBI Academy for over 40 years, educating agents on the methods of fraudsters.
- Developed some of the foundational security features used on modern checks to prevent the very fraud he once committed.
Did You Know?
He never actually flew a plane as his 'pilot' persona; he simply deadheaded on flights using forged IDs and uniforms.
He teaches a course on cybercrime and identity theft at the FBI’s National Academy.
The French prison where he was held, Perpignan, was so harsh he attempted suicide.
He has stated that almost everything in the 'Catch Me If You Can' movie is true, with some Hollywood dramatization.
““A good liar must have a good memory.””
