Catch Me If You Can

 

 

A doctor ... a lawyer ... an airline pilot ... a college professor ... former con man Frank Abagnale played all these roles as a young man, stealing millions of dollars from banks around the world. His money-making secret? Cashing false checks. His motive for playing different roles? Respect and excitement. He enjoyed having other people believe that he was important.

 

He first impersonated an airline pilot by wearing a pilot's uniform. Then he created a phony airline ID. The result was very exciting to him. Abagnale never operated a plane, but he used his pilot uniform to fly for free and to date attractive, young flight attendants. Then he discovered a luxury apartment community near Atlanta, Georgia. He paid cash for six months' rent in advance and wrote "medical doctor" on his apartment application. He soon became friends with a doctor in the apartment community. After convincing this man that he, too, was a medical doctor, he was offered a hospital job as a temporary supervisor. Abagnale performed this role by relying on nurses and medical students to do all the work while he simply pretended to be in charge. But finally, when faced with a life-or-death situation involving a newborn baby, Abagnale decided that he could no longer continue the deception. He knew that if he kept impersonating a doctor, an innocent child might die. Still, before leaving his hospital job, Abagnale made sure to get his paycheck.