Many people know of Frank Abagnale because of the 2002 movie ‘Catch Me If You Can’. He’s the man portrayed by Leonardo di Caprio, who from age 15 to 21 was a con-artist who posed as an airline pilot, doctor, and attorney, while being chased by the FBI for years.
Now, he’s crossed to the other side. For over 40 years, Abagnale has worked for the FBI and has taught two generations of agents at the FBI Academy.
Abagnale is on a mission to educate consumers about fraud and how to avoid scams, and he came to Huntsville Friday to share insights into fraud scams on behalf of AARP’s Fraud Watch Network. Friday evening at 7PM, he will be speaking to folks at the Jackson Center about scams going around — how to recognize and avoid them.
Abagnale says there are always two important things scammers want from you. Here are the red flags to look for:
“At some point, I am either going to ask you for money, or I am going to ask you for information — ‘what’s your social security number?’, ‘what’s your date of birth?”, said Abagnale. “The day I say to you, ‘by the way, can you send me $10,000, or, ‘you won this sweepstakes, but in order to collect the money, you have to pay the taxes first’ — those are the red flags to remember.”
Abagnale says folks should stop and verify who the caller is before giving away any information or money.
There is no fee to attend the event, and folks are not required to be members of AARP.
For more information and to learn more about scams and what to watch out for head to AARP’s Fraud Network: https://www.aarp.org/money/scams-fraud/?cmp=RDRCT-CON-FRD-FRDWCHNET_SEP2018
Watch as Abagnale shares more insights into fraud and how to avoid being scammed in this WEB EXTRA: https://www.rocketcitynow.com/news/web-extra-frank-abagnale-shares-tips-and-insights-into-fraud-scams/
Watch as Abagnale shares what led up to him becoming a con-artist in his youth and what it was like watching the story of his life made into a major motion picture: