Between the ages of 16 and 21, Frank William Abagnale born in 1948, carried out his criminal activities.

Within this period, he forged his driver’s license in order to look ten years older, and then opened several bank accounts using different identities. To further to avoide suspicion while cashing his forged checks, he decided to become a pilot. 

He forged a pilot’s license and an employee ID.

He forged $2.5 million worth of bank checks across 26 countries he had flown to as a pilot.

Soon after he stopped flying, he relocated to Georgia and went into pediatrics. After he nearly murdered a baby, he quit.

Afterwards, he pretended to have graduated from Harvard and started practicing law (working as a lawyer).

Twelve countries requested his extradition after his arrest in 1969.

He pretended to be an undercover inspector when he was in jail, which got him preferential treatment. He managed to get out of jail, but he was then taken into custody again.

With the requirement that he continue to work for the FBI, he was granted parole and released. Frank continues to serve as an FBI agent today.

It takes years for anyone to be able to practice any of the three professions he impersonated.

How was he able to work as:

A doctor without going to medical school.
A lawyer without being to law school.
A pilot with no training.

Nobody is aware of how he managed to accomplish this. Yet only an extremely intelligent crook could pull this off.

Frank William Abagnale Jr., who is 74 years old, is the most clever criminal in history.

His life motivated the making of a film Catch Me if You Can.

The sequel to the movie is currently being produced in Nigeria based on the outcome of 2023 Presidential Election.