Catch me if you can

Student slideshow for Mr. Stennett's Human Development class, Spring 2015

1. Catch me if you can Author: Frank Abagnale Jr. By: Katie Ebel

2. abstract Frank Abagnale Jr. is a former con artist who, in his early age cashed $2.5 million worth of bad checks while impersonating a pilot for Pan Am airlines; he also impersonated the professions of a teaching assistant, doctor and lawyer. Frank had a lust for women, money, and attention; it was fuel for him to chase after those things. Frank can be distinguished best by his extraordinary intelligence (IQ of 140), thus, allowing him to have a photogenic memory where he could successfully employ his con artist schemes. Frank Abagnale Jr. was constantly on the run from the FBI, but was eventually caught and imprisoned. Although Frank committed a great amount of fraud, his experience as a con artist led him to becoming CEO to his company , Abagnale & Associates, and work as a consultant and lecturer for the FBI.

3. Frank Abagnale Jr. B orn on April 27, 1948-Bronxville , New York- He was one of four siblings Parents divorced when Frank was about fourteen years old Moved in with his father, whom he had a close relationship with Through his father he learned about white collar businesses, attended political events and visits to saloons, where higher class businessmen gathered; he learned to speak , dress, and act like an mature adult Left home and moved to New York City around the age of sixteen Became imposter with many different identities Frank currently lives in Charleston, SC, married and has three sons; the eldest works for the FBI

4. Adolescence Frank was devastated after his parents divorced- He got mixed up with a group of delinquent teens, started getting into some trouble and committing petty crimes His first act of con was on his own father- Frank charged around $3,400 to his father’s charge card, then returned the items for cash back. His father found out about the charges and had to pay the bill, hurting him even more financially, as his business was already going under- Frank told him he was trying to impress a girl. His father became tired of Frank’s actions so he sent Frank off to a boarding school Frank later ran away to live on his own in New York City- only $200 in his checking account

5. Becoming a con artist With little education and being under age it was hard for Frank to find a job- He altered his driver’s license to appear older and lied about his education Started writing bad checks and cashing them to make ends meet- Shortly after he quit his fulltime job to pursue and become a professional con artist His first impersonation was a pilot with Pan Am Airlines. He was inspired after seeing a flight crew exit a hotel and figured that pilots were highly respected professionals, one he could impersonate and less likely to get caught Frank forged his pilot ID and FAA license- purchased a uniform and charged it to the company; he researched and learned everything he could about flying, like in one case he pretended to be a student doing a research paper so he could gather valuable information

6. LIAR IMPOSTER DECEPTION CON ARTIST CHEATER IDENTITY THIEF DISHONEST UNTRUSTWORTHY LUST GREED FRAUD

7. on the run Frank had to flee because the Pan Am police started catching on, so he decided to pursue another profession He became a pediatrician at a hospital in Georgia. When a patient or nurse had questions Frank typically didn’t know the answer- he would use humor as a defense mechanism for the lack of his knowledge; He also pawned his duties off on the nurses Frank realized he was not fit to be a doctor after a child almost lost their life because of him-he decided to skip town and seek another profession He forged Harvard University law transcripts, passed Louisiana's bar exam, and got a job at the Louisiana state attorney general’s office. Frank’s coworker, a real Harvard graduate, questioned Frank about his attendance at Harvard and started making inquires into his background, and again Frank had to skip town

8. fraud What is fraud? Fraud can be described as an intentional use of deceit, trickery, or dishonest means to deprive another of money or property. In an act of fraud, intentional false representation is acted upon in the harm to a victim for personal gain; or intentional deception to obtain an illegal advantage Why do people commit fraud? Situations that lead to fraud can deal with social status & more. To a fraudster, it is important for them to deal with any financial problems in secrecy so that their status/approval by society is not jeopardized- Proving, that social pressure plays a role in an individual‘s motives to commit fraud Greed is another motive of fraudsters; Trustworthy people can become untrustworthy- Fraud occurs when elements such as opportunity, pressure and rationalization have been compressed together; Ethical and moral decisions then have to come into play  

9. identity The search for identity is a social as well as an individual problem Social In Frank’s search for identity he began impersonating prestigious professions that distinguished him as a credible and worthy businessman Individual Frank’s search for his identity led him to becoming a con artist, stealing the identities of others for his self-benefit Through greed he manipulated and deceived others in order to satisfy his wants

10. EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE Ego Development A sense of the object world only exist if it satisfies needs to a sense of the reality of objects existing independently of human needs comes about from the result of neutralization and aggression. “Learning to think and learning in general are independent biological functions which exist beside, and in part independently of, drives and defenses” Hartmann (2013). Satisfaction in work is referred to as secondary narcissism Feelings of guilt are fundamental incentives towards creativeness and work Franks youth allowed him to be fearless and not accept the reality of his consequences, rather, he would justify it. As he got older he became more aware of his actions and consequences , and it began taking a toll on him emotionally. Many nights he would lie in bed and cry because he was lonely and missed his family

11. Caught by police Frank Abagnale Jr. was caught and sentenced to jail by police in France; later transferred to the other countries where he had also committed fraud to serve time. Frank was later deported back to the US where he was sentenced to twelve years Frank escaped prison a number of times but was always caught and sent back to prison After Frank served five years he was released on terms that he work for the FBI helping to catch fraudsters

12. conclusion Frank Abagnale Jr. was given a second chance after prison to change his life and use the knowledge and skills he had learned to do something positive and benefitting for others, instead of himself . Frank was hired by the FBI to work as a consultant, and later he established his own company, Abagnale & Associates. Frank’s criminal career gave him the chance to become what he had been chasing after, the difference was that he became a successful businessman without committing fraud.

13. References Lynd, H. M., (2013, August 21). On shame and the search for identity. Third article in a series. International school of psychology , pp. 83-91 Moskowitz , M. (2010). Reading minds : a guide to the cognitive neuroscience revolution. London : Karnac Books Oleson, J., & Chappell, R. (2012). Self-reported violent offending among subjects with genius-level iq scores. Journal Of Family Violence, 27(8), 715-730 . doi:10.1007/s10896-012-9468- Abagnale, Jr. F., (1980). Catch me if you can. new york : grosset & dunlap . Book Coetzee, O., & Cilliers , F. (2012). Humour as defence against the anxiety manifesting in diversity experiences. SAJIP: South African Journal Of Industrial Psychology, 38(2), 1-9. doi:10.4102/sajip.v38i2.990 Jetten , J., & Hornsey , M. J. (2010). Rebels in groups: dissent, difference, and defiance. wiley . book Stajano, F., & Wilson, P. (2011). Understanding scam victims : seven principles for systems security . Communications of The ACM, 54(3), 70. doi:10.1145/1897852.1897872 Parkes , C.M., (2013). Love and loss: the roots of grief and its complications . taylor & francis . book Weston, F. (2009). Effects of divorce or parental separation on children: second article in a Series. British Journal Of School Nursing, 4(5), 237-243.