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Frank W. Abagnale

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born

April 26, 1948 in New York, The United States

gender

male

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Born 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...more Born 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.(less)

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Books by Frank W. Abagnale

Average rating: 3.86 · 6,988 ratings · 732 reviews · 9 distinct works

	Catch Me If You Can by Frank W. Abagnale, Stan Redding 3.87 avg rating — 6,395 ratings — published 1980 — 38 editions	My rating:
	Catch Me If You Can: The Film and the Filmmakers by Frank W. Abagnale, Jeff Nathanson, Steven Spielberg 3.85 avg rating — 370 ratings — published 2002	My rating:
	The Art of the Steal: How to Protect Yourself and Your Business from Fraud, America's #1 Crime 3.65 avg rating — 179 ratings — published 2002 — 12 editions	My rating:
	Stealing Your Life: The Ultimate Identity Theft Prevention Plan 3.53 avg rating — 60 ratings — published 2007 — 12 editions	My rating:
	J'avais des ailes mais je n'etais pas un Ange 3.50 avg rating — 2 ratings — published 1981	My rating:
	แฟรงก์ อบาเนล ยอดนักตุ๋น by Frank W. Abagnale (Author), โรจนา นาเจริญ (Translator) 4.00 avg rating — 1 rating — published 1999	My rating:
	ศิลปะการต้มตุ๋น by Frank W. Abagnale (Author), โรจนา นาเจริญ (Translator) 4.00 avg rating — 1 rating — published 2002	My rating:
	Real U Guide to Identity Theft 3.00 avg rating — 1 rating — published 2004	My rating:
	The Dinosaur Detective by Cathy Torrisi, Frank W. Abagnale 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings	My rating:

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Quotes by Frank W. Abagnale

“What bothered me most was their lack of style. I learned early that class is universally admired. Almost any fault, sin or crime is considered more leniently if there's a touch of class involved.”
― Frank W. Abagnale, Catch Me If You Can

7 people liked it

“I stole every nickel and blew it on fine threads, luxurious lodgings, fantastic foxes, and other sensual goodies. I partied in every capital in Europe and basked on all the world's most famous beaches.”
― Frank W. Abagnale, Catch Me If You Can

3 people liked it

“It's not what a man has but what a man is that's important.”
― Frank W. Abagnale

1 person liked it

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