In one sense, Frank Abagnale Jr. might seem an odd choice as a featured speaker at a cutting-edge, computer-ruled event like the Wharton Technology Conference 2007. That's not just because Abagnale -- the subject of the 2002 Steven Spielberg movie "Catch Me If You Can" -- was one of the most notorious con men of the 20th century, but also because his technique was so decidedly low-tech.
Consider what Abagnale -- a teenager at the time -- did in the mid-1960s when he faked his identity as a Pan Am pilot, a move that allowed him to travel more than one million miles and visit some 250 cities in 26 countries, free of charge. A key element of his scheme involved faking a Pan Am ID card, a process he completed by taking the logo from an airplane model kit sold at a hobby store.
Indeed, while Abagnale's riveting lecture was alternately humorous and poignant, it also contained an underlying message: Vigilance against fraudsters and con artists should be even more of a priority now than it was then, because Abagnale's 1960s schemes were harder work.
"What I did more than 40 years ago is now about 4,000 times easier to do because of technology," Abagnale said in a brief interview after his speech. "When I used to print checks, I needed a Heidelberg printing press -- it was a million-dollar machine, it was 90 feet long and 18-feet high, and it required different printers and color separators and negatives. Today, I can open up a laptop, create a check from a large, existing Fortune 500 company, capture their logo from their web site, print it on their check and come out with a perfect document in a matter of just minutes."
Breeding Ground for Cons
Indeed, Abagnale -- who today runs a highly successful security consulting firm out of Tulsa, Okla. -- works hard to keep up with today's computerized and Internet-based fraud. But instead of perpetrating elaborate scams, for more than three decades Abagnale has worked to prevent them as an advisor on theft prevention for both the FBI and a roster of corporate clients.
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