Money Crimes with Nicole Lapin - SCAM: Frank Abagnale

Episode Date: December 5, 2024

Frank Abagnale became a household name after the movie Catch Me if You Can chronicled his incredible 5-year fraud spree in the 1960s. From impersonating a pilot to pretending to be a doctor and a lawyer, it seemed like Frank could fool just about everyone. But Frank's real con may have been his story itself. When it comes to the world's greatest liar, the question is... what can you trust? Money Crimes is a Crime House Original. For more content, follow us on Instagram and TikTok @crimehouse. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This is Crime House. A lot of people grow up wanting to be someone influential. A doctor, a lawyer, maybe even a pilot. Frank Abagnale was no different. Raised in the suburbs of New York City, all he wanted was to have a career where people took him seriously. And he got there, eventually. But Frank didn't have just one of those jobs. He had all of them. Over a five-year span in the 1960s, Frank worked as a doctor, a lawyer, and a pilot. Except that wasn't really the case.

In reality, Frank was a sophisticated con artist whose lives were so big they had to be believed. His ability to evade capture while passing off millions of dollars in bad checks was so incredible, it was adapted into the hit movie, Catch Me If You Can. For years, people have been amazed at Frank Abagnale's larger-than-life story, especially because it was all true. Or at least, that's what he wants you to think. The thing is, Frank is such an incredible liar, it is almost

impossible to separate the truth from fiction. And that's just how he likes it. Because once you've figured out where the lies end and reality begins, he's already gone. As the saying goes, those who don't understand history are doomed to repeat it. That's especially true when it comes to money. If you want to make the right decisions when it comes to managing your assets, you need to know what mistakes to avoid and how to spot a trap. This is Money Crimes, a Crime House original. I'm your host Nicole Lapin. Every Thursday I'll be telling you the story of a famous financial crime and giving you

advice on how to avoid becoming a victim yourself. At Crime House, we want to express our gratitude to each and every one of you, our community, for making this possible. Please support us by rating, reviewing, and following Money Crimes wherever you get your podcasts. Your feedback truly matters. And for ad-free and early access to Money Crimes, plus exciting bonus content, subscribe to Crime House Plus on Apple Podcasts. Today I'm talking about the talented counterfeiter, Frank Abagnale. You may recognize his name thanks to the blockbuster movie about his life, Catch Me If You Can. But before Hollywood came calling, Frank claimed that he went on a five-year fraud spree that

made him into one of the most wanted thieves in the world. Whether he was posing as a pilot or pretending to be a doctor, Frank could fool just about anyone. His crimes were so bold, they could hardly be believed. Hey there, it's Nicole. If you're loving the stories on money crimes, the team here at CrimeHouse has another show you definitely need to check out. It's called Mind of a Serial Killer, and it's all about the deep dives into the psychology of the world's most terrifying murderers.

Listen to it wherever you get your podcasts. In the early 1960s, America was thriving. The economy was healthy, people were having lots of kids, and families flocked to the suburbs to enjoy some peace and quiet. That was especially true in the New York business community. The hot shots of Wall Street and Madison Avenue could rake in the big bucks at their offices, then commute home to the burbs for a slower pace. One of those communities was Bronxville, located about 15 miles north of Midtown.

The people from Bronxville had a lot of money and were all pretty conservative, meaning it was full of people who looked the same, talked the same, and thought the same. One person who didn't fit the mold? Frank Abagnale Jr. Frank Abagnale Jr. Frank was the third of four kids. His dad, Frank Sr., was a successful owner of a Madison Avenue stationery store, but his real passion was fishing. Frank Sr. was part of the New York Anglers Club and organized fishing tournaments across the country. Of course, Frank Sr. had to go out and make sure everything went smoothly, which meant he spent a lot more time trying to catch fish than being with his family.

Naturally, his wife, Paulette, was not a fan of the way he chose to spend his free time. Their marriage started to go downhill, and in 1964, when Frank Jr. was 15 years old, the Abagnales got a divorce. All of the kids went to live with Paulette, except for Frank Jr. who chose to stay with his dad. It was a decision that changed the course of Frank's life forever. You see, Sr. wasn't just a businessman,

he was also active in local politics. That meant that in addition to running his store, he had a lot of meetings with fellow businessmen, union bosses, execs, cops, and so on. Senior let his son tag along to these meetings. There, Frank learned the ins and outs of multiple professions. As he put it, he got streetwise.

Or at least he developed a wisdom beyond his years. About six months into living with his dad, nothing could prepare Frank for what came next. Puberty. All of a sudden, he was obsessed with girls, which presented a new dilemma. If he wanted to go on dates, he needed money. Frank did have a part-time job as a shipping clerk, but whatever he was making wasn't enough to go on the kind of dates he wanted.

So he apparently devised a scheme to earn some extra cash. It involved using his dad's mobile gas card, which was essentially a store credit card. The scheme worked like this. Frank would ask the clerk to run his card for something, say $5 worth of gas. But instead of filling up the tank, Frank convinced the clerk to run his card for something, say $5 worth of gas. But instead of filling up the tank, Frank convinced the clerk to give him that money from the register instead. The gas station came out even, and Frank got some spending money. It was a win-win for both of them.

Even if Frank wasn't necessarily breaking the law here, it did catch the attention of Mobile's credit department. Over the span of three months, Frank had run up a $3,400 bill on gas, oil, and batteries. That is almost $35,000 today. An investigator from Mobile found it so strange, he asked Frank's dad what was going on. If he was going to spend that much money, why not just buy a new car? It didn't take long for Sr. to figure out that his son had played him. According to Frank, his dad was actually pretty understanding about it. But his

mom wasn't. She arranged for Frank to be sent to a reform school about a half an hour drive from Bronxville. And things only got worse for him from there. While he was at reform school, his dad lost his business. Senior was broke. Frank was devastated. He had always looked up to his dad and admired his success. When Frank came home for the summer, he couldn't stay in the sight of seeing his dad so humbled. So in June of 1964, 16-year-old Frank grabbed a

suitcase and hopped on a train to New York City. He didn't even bother to say goodbye. At this point, Frank only had about $200 to his name. If he was going to make it as a runaway, he needed to find a way to make money. To get by, he started writing checks, even when he knew his bank account was empty. And unlike the GAS card scheme, this definitely wasn't legal. Back when Frank was a kid, writing checks was a common way to pay for stuff like groceries, but it was also how a lot of people got cash when they couldn't make it to the bank. You could go to a hotel, a store, market or retailer, write them a check, and receive money from their register.

It was a lot like getting cash back with a card today, except the money wasn't immediately taken out of your account. Frank used that delay to his advantage. According to his memoir, this scam was the real beginning of his criminal career. He'd write checks for cash at businesses around the city for small amounts like $10 or $20. Then, when the businesses went to the bank to deposit his check, it would bounce. Keep in mind, Manhattan is massive. Frank had thousands of stores to choose from. But Frank knew writing bad checks wasn't exactly a long-term career.

He assumed that the authorities were looking for him because his real name was on those checks. And he had left quite the paper trail. It made him wonder what if he found a new name and an entirely new identity. The idea hit Frank when he saw an Eastern Airlines flight crew, all in uniform, coming out of a hotel one day. In Frank's own words, he was dazzled. They looked glamorous and successful. Frank was desperate to be just like them. It would solve a few of his problems. For one, people generally think pilots are talented and important, everything Frank ever dreamed of being.

Two, banks and businesses wouldn't question a check written by a pilot. Of course, he didn't intend to pursue aviation as an actual career, he just wanted to wear the clothes and look the part. It's hard to imagine that anyone would ever believe a 16-year-old was a pilot, but Frank looked and acted old for his age. It would be an easy sell. All he needed was the uniform. To figure out how to get one, he chose an airline to Target. He settled on Pan American,

which had a huge building in Midtown at the time. He called their HQ and claimed he was a pilot who lost his uniform. They directed him to a warehouse where he was just handed a uniform without question. All he had to do was fill out a quick form, which included his employer ID number. Frank simply jotted down some random digits and walked out.

He knew they wouldn't check it until he was out of there. The uniform was just the beginning. Frank figured out how to forge an ID and an FAA license for a whole new persona, Frank Williams, Pan American pilot. Now that Frank looked the part and had the documents to back it up,

he needed to learn how to act like a pilot. He studied all things aviation like he was preparing for a test. He called up Pan Am and said that he was a high school student doing an article. This allowed him to interview an actual pilot who told him what the average salaries were, how many pilots Pan Am had, and how many cities they were located in. Frank also learned that pilots could fly for free as passengers, a practice called deadheading. It didn't have to be with Pan Am either.

He could ride on any airline in any city, which meant he could avoid Pan Am flights where someone might recognize he was a fake. It was generally pretty easy. Frank put on his uniform, showed his fraudulent identification, and filled out a slip with his pilot's number. According to Frank, these slips didn't seem to be reviewed or looked into. Frank soon realized it wasn't just free air travel that had opened up his world, it was his newfound ability to be a chameleon. He could be anyone, anywhere, at any time. And nobody saw him coming.

Now that Frank Abagnale could travel anywhere in the world, he took the opportunity to take his bad check scheme on the road. According to world, he took the opportunity to take his bad check scheme on the road. According to Frank, he was able to open multiple bank accounts across the country under his new name, Frank Williams. He kept up his ruse for about two years, until 1966. By then, 18-year-old Frank had been on an estimated 200 flights and felt completely at ease pretending to be a pilot. But apparently his story had some holes in it. According to Frank, he was on a runway in New Orleans sometime around the beginning of 1966, deadheading on a flight that was about to take off. But before they could get in the air, someone radioed the pilot. Whoever was on the other end wanted him to inspect Frank's license and ID.

Everything must have seemed in order though because the plane took off. But Frank wasn't out of the woods yet. When the plane landed in Miami, there were two police officers waiting for him. When Frank was questioned, the officers explained that some guy was going around impersonating a pilot. Frank showed them his ID and his license, and even named several pilots that he'd met during his travels. He figured that would be enough to verify his identity as an actual aviator.

Then, when an FBI agent joined the officers in questioning Frank, Frank repeated the same song and dance to him. Incredibly, Frank says the authorities bought his story and let him go. They even seemed embarrassed about the whole thing, like it was an inconvenience. Even so, the experience shook Frank up a bit. He abandoned his Pan Am persona and laid low for a while. Then he hit the road and ended up in Atlanta. But in order to get an apartment, he had to sign a lease agreement.

That meant he had to write down his profession. He didn't wanna put pilot though. He was over that phase in his life and wanted to move on. So he chose another respectable job title. Doctor. When the inevitable friendly questions popped up from his building manager, Frank said he was a pediatrician on a leave of absence from the West Coast. This led the manager to introduce Frank to a friend who was an actual pediatrician. To keep up the ruse, Frank studied up on medical lingo and allowed his new buddy to introduce him around at the localuse, Frank studied up on medical lingo and allowed his new buddy to introduce

him around at the local hospital. Frank ended up spending so much time there, they allegedly asked him to step in as a supervisor when one of their colleagues had a death in the family. Which meant, Frank was an actual employee of a hospital, expected to take care of actual patients. But according to Frank, as much as he liked the prestige of the doctor's coat, he wasn't so keen on the life and death of it all. I mean, he was still basically a kid at this point. It made him nervous that people's lives actually depended on him, so eventually Frank decided it was time to move on

from the medical profession. The timeline is a little bit fuzzy here, but according to Frank, he left Atlanta sometime around the end of 1966 or early 1967. He ended up in Louisiana where he went around calling himself a lawyer and a Harvard law graduate. He says he stayed there for six months.

During that time, Frank supposedly finagled his way into a job at the state attorney general's office, all by schmoozing with the right people at a party. Like with his other fake careers, Frank used his forgery skills to make a counterfeit Harvard Law transcript. According to Frank, he really lived it up with his new salary, fancy cars, dinners out, the works. But this fraudulent career ended when he met a real Harvard Law grad who asked too many questions.

Frank got anxious that someone would find out he was a phony and he made the decision to hit the road once again. would find out he was a phony and he made the decision to hit the road once again. Frank had no problem moving from place to place, in fact, he preferred it. He understood that the best way to avoid detection was to not stay in one place for too long. This tactic seemed to be working for him, considering he'd been a criminal for around three years at this point and still hadn't been caught. But after being questioned about his identity in Miami, Frank assumed the FBI was looking for him.

So he decided to play it safe, staying on the move for a while. Then, once he thought it was safe to settle down, Frank eventually landed in a mid-sized city in Northern California called Eureka sometime in 1967. Eureka was significant for Frank. It marked the return of his old habit, writing bad checks. He hadn't cashed one in a while, possibly because he had been making an actual salary from his phony identities as a doctor and as a lawyer.

But Eureka wasn't exactly the best place to run the check game. Even though it had a lot of banks, it was way smaller than New York City. It wouldn't take long for him to attract attention. According to Frank, the most he could get from cashing personal checks all over town was about a grand.

But payroll checks were a different story. Because they're used to pay salaries, they can be issued in larger amounts without attracting attention. Frank decided to go back to pretending he worked for Pan Am. He had the uniform, so it would make sense for a teller to see a Pan Am pilot cashing a Pan Am check. He bought a plastic toy jet with a Pan Am logo on it. He used that decal to paste onto his personal checks. Then he used some art store supplies and magnetic ink to alter the ID numbers at the bottom. ID numbers at the bottom. All checks, both personal and business, have identifying numbers that tell you where the check was issued.

The system banks used at the time automatically connected those numbers to whatever institution they were coded for. Frank was able to use these codes to his advantage. He would alter the face of the check to say that it was from a bank in one state, then change the numbers on the check to link it to another state. That way, the check was bounced around the country as banks tried to figure out who had issued the check. This gave Frank enough time to hit up multiple banks in Eureka.

But that's when he made his first big mistake. He accidentally signed one of his counterfeit checks using his real name. Frank didn't want the FBI connecting his check scheme to his real identity. So he went to the bank and once again traded personas. So he went to the bank and once again traded personas. This time he said he was an FBI agent and demanded to see and take the counterfeit check. And it worked. The teller handed the check over

and Frank left Eureka before the actual FBI arrived. Frank had escaped the authorities, but it wasn't the last time he was sloppy. At his next stop in San Francisco, he did something really reckless. He fell in love. Frank was so head over heels in love with this woman that he did something completely out of character.

Tell the truth, who he was, how he impersonated a pilot, his real name. His openness didn't have the desired effect though. Frank arrived at his girlfriend's house one evening and saw police cars outside. She had turned him in. Frank was shattered. The one time he told the truth, it completely backfired.

As soon as he saw the cop cars, he turned around and drove to a place that everyone goes to forget their troubles. Las Vegas. It was the beginning of a crime spree spiral. Before long, Frank was flying from city to city as Frank Williams or another alias, Frank Adams. He went to Chicago, New York City, Philly, and Miami, leaving a mountain of counterfeit checks in his wake. But Frank eventually started to worry about how much longer he could keep this going.

He knew the FBI had to be onto him. That's when he decided to go international. In late 1967, 19-year-old Frank got a temporary passport under his real name Frank Abagnale. It's not clear how he was able to manage that. Theoretically, he'd been compromised by his girlfriend in San Francisco. But airport security in the 1960s was almost nonexistent. Passengers sometimes didn't even have to show ID. So Frank didn't have much trouble jumping across the pond to London. Once he got to the UK, Frank didn't wait long to start using counterfeit checks as a way to make money. It seemed like the British authorities were more on

top of things than they were back in the US though. Barely a week into his time in the UK, the police were already looking for him. Frank knew he needed to leave, but he didn't want to take the risk of going back to the States. Instead, he chose to head sudden end. When 19-year-old Frank Abagnale first landed in France in late 1967, it was perfect. He'd met and heir France Stortus through some aviation circles and connected with her in Paris. Before long, they were dating. It's not clear if Frank's feelings for her were genuine, but he stuck around at least partly because she came with an extra bonus. Her family had a small printing shop. This relationship became somewhat of an enterprise for Frank. He had

acquired a real paycheck from a Pan Am Stortus and he claims he convinced his girlfriend's dad to recreate it. According to Frank, the printer thought he really worked for Pan Am and was naturally eager for the airline's business. So even though he wasn't really sure what Frank was asking for, he generated multiple payroll books. They were full of Pan Am checks, with the routing number and the account number from the original Frank had stolen. Theoretically, anything he used those checks for would now be billed to the airline. And Frank took full advantage of it. By his own admission, he cashed them all over Paris. The good times didn't last forever, though. It's not clear why, but at some point, Frank went back to the States. It seemed like a bizarre choice considering that he thought the authorities were looking for him. But Frank was never short on confidence.

After a quick stop in New York, he says he wound up at the Boston airport deciding where to go next. While he was there, his worst nightmare became a reality. Two state troopers approached and called him by his real name, Frank Abagnale. Before he knew it, he was placed in handcuffs and taken to a county jail. He wasn't told much about how they'd found him. The local officers didn't even seem to know

why he was a wanted man. But apparently they said he would be picked up in the morning. Frank assumed it would be by the FBI. He had no idea what tipped them off, but he was about to get a lucky break. You see, he was still in his pilot's uniform. The people running the station

apparently didn't know he was an imposter. They also weren't informed about what he was in for. They had just booked him for a vague charge of vagrancy. So Frank got a bail bondsman to arrange for his release. He got out just before the FBI arrived. Incredibly, Frank didn't leave the country right away. He was supposedly feeling reckless and impulsive, which is the only way to explain what he did next.

Allegedly, he went back to the airport and robbed a bank deposit box by posing as a security guard. He sent some of the money to jail to pay his bail bond. Then he fled the country to Istanbul and went back to traveling around Europe. For the next year or so, Frank traveled around Europe, using fake checks to pay for his travels. By 1969, when Frank was about 21 years old, he was ready to take a breather. Frank chose the French city of Montpilier, which was big enough that he wouldn't attract attention as an American.

But the city was small enough that it didn't have a major airport, which would help Frank avoid pilots and other aviation folks who might recognize him. He decided to assume another new identity, one that was sure to impress. He said he was a screenwriter. Frank quickly settled into a leisurely routine. He had a favorite market, got to know his neighbors, and tried to forget about the authorities

around the world who were likely looking for him. But he couldn't hide forever. One day, Frank was out and about shopping at his local market, when suddenly he was surrounded by police. It turned out that someone had recognized him. Montpellier's airport may have been small, but that didn't mean airline personnel never went there. At some point, a flight attendant was in town visiting family. She had even dated Frank for a bit and heard about his criminal antics. Imagine her surprise when she saw her former flame shopping on the

streets of Montpellier. He got into a car and she took note of the plates. Then she alerted the authorities. The question was, where would he stand trial first? According to Frank, there were a lot of people who wanted a piece of him. But because he was arrested in France, that's who got him first. After that, he went to Sweden, where he spent six months behind bars, before getting extradited to the US in late 1970 at 22 years old. But the moment the plane landed on his native soil, Frank supposedly managed to wiggle his way free.

Once they landed on the tarmac, Frank squeezed his way off the aircraft through a small hatch in the bottom and made a run for it. His newfound freedom didn't last long though, the authorities tracked Frank down. He was taken to Atlanta, where Frank escaped again. Somehow, he had tricked the guards into thinking he was a prison inspector. From there, Frank made his way back to his hometown, New York. It took about a month to finally bring him in. He was allegedly taken into custody after two New York City detectives saw him walking down the street eating a hot dog.

Frank had piled up some pretty impressive numbers during his five-year crime spree. Supposedly that included flying an estimated 1 million miles for free, multiple counts of identity fraud, and forging a reported $2.5 million in checks. And there was plenty of evidence to go on. Frank was convicted and sentenced to 12 years in prison. He only served four though. When he was about 26 years old though, his sentence was commuted at the FBI's request.

Not out of the goodness of their hearts, but because they decided the best way to guard the American people against fraud was to consult the best in the biz. That's right, Frank became a consultant for the government. But that didn't mean he was interested in laying low. In 1980, Frank published a memoir called, Catch Me If You Can. This detailed look into his mind boggling crimes turned Frank into a bona fide celebrity. He appeared on The Tonight Show

with Johnny Carson multiple times and Steven Spielberg famously adapted Frank's story into a hit movie in 2002. With Leonardo DiCaprio starring as Frank, the movie went on to win multiple awards and brought even more attention to Frank's larger-than-life story, including that of a journalist named Alan C. Logan. In 2020, Alan released a book called The Greatest Hoax on earth, catching truth while we can. The book argued what some had suspected for years, that a lot of Frank's story was a

complete lie. Because for most of the time Frank said he was committing his international crime spree, he was actually incarcerated at Great Meadow Correctional Facility in New York. And although he was later arrested in France and spent a few months in a Swedish jail, there was no daring tarmac escape from the FBI. In fact, when he was sent back to the United States, the authorities didn't even know about it. One thing Frank didn't lie about was writing bad checks.

That's what landed him in prison in the first place and what had him in and out of custody throughout the 60s and 70s. So while the techniques he used may have been real, the grandeur of his exploits was definitely made up. Although he used a pilot's uniform to cash bad checks, there wasn't any international jet-setting. There was no stint working at a hospital in Atlanta, and he never worked as a lawyer in Louisiana. As to whether or not he worked for the FBI, that's a little bit murky too.

The agency has never commented on it one way or the other. It will just have to be another mystifying element in the enduring mystery that is Frank Abagnale. But that hasn't stopped Frank from insisting his story is true, and people keep buying it. In 2022, he was even awarded a Heroes in Ethics Award from Cincinnati's Xavier University, presumably for his work helping the FBI

catch con artists like him. You may be wondering if Frank's story was made up, what is the point of talking about it? Well, I have to agree that it's a bit disappointing to learn that this incredible story is basically one giant lie, but that doesn't mean it's not worth covering. Because here's the thing,

Frank may not be this incredible, unstoppable thief. After all, he got thrown in jail multiple times for trying to pass off bad checks. But even though he may not be the best at financial crimes, he is an incredible liar. I mean, his story was so great that Steven Spielberg made a movie about it. And what's especially crazy is that somehow

it's all believable. For all the confidence it takes to actually do the things Frank claims, it's just as impressive to say he did them and get away with it. Now, I don't know anything about Frank's personal finances, but I would be really curious to know which number is bigger, the $2.5 million he supposedly made writing fake checks, or how much he's made pretending he did. Thank you so much for listening.

I'm your host Nicole Lapin. Come back next time as I take you through another wild story and offer you some advice along the way. Money Crimes is a Crime House original. Join me every Thursday for a new episode. Here at Crime House, we want to thank each and every one of you for your support. If you like what you heard today, reach out on social media, at Crime House, on TikTok and on Instagram. And please don't forget to rate, review and follow Money Crimes wherever you get your favorite podcasts. Your feedback truly makes all the difference. And for ad free and early access to Money Crimes plus exciting

bonus content, subscribe to Crime House Plus on Apple podcasts. Money Crimes is hosted by me, Nicole Lapin, and is a Crime House original powered by Pave Studios. It is executive produced by Max Cutler. This episode of Money Crimes was produced and directed by Ron Shapiro, written by Kate Murdoch, edited by Alex Benedon, fact-checked by Beth Johnson, sound designed by Russell Nash, and included production assistance from Sarah Carroll. ["Money Crimes"]