A Fraudulent Account of Fraud? | Frank Abagnale Jr. Case Analysis
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- čas přidán 16. 02. 2022
- This video answers the question: Can I analyze the case of Frank Abagnale Jr.?
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"Some people are shocked and disappointed. They just can't believe that a person who manipulated and defrauded people could ever be deceptive."
😂😅😂 Brilliant!!😂😅😂
If you can't trust a compulsive liar and fraudster who can you trust?!
well ... a lot of morons still "believe' tFUMP and his lies
Mental health counselors.😉
Tommy Flanigan. Yeah, that's the ticket!
Bird - From "Jackie Brown". You can trust Melony to be Melony!
Right?
It's interesting that when a con man writes his memoirs people are genuinely surprised that the book was also a con.
Ironically that was his biggest and most lucrative con.
You couldn't make this stuff up!!
Oh, hang on...??!!🤷♀️😂
Like, I wouldn't be surprised to learn the ENTIRE book was fake. Like, maybe he just found an obscure novel written in a different language, pasted it into Google Translate and then changed some proper nouns and was like "I WROTE THIS!"
V
@@patriceroseplummer1124 some of what Frank tells is true. I spent six months with him back in the 70's. A liar? A complete liar? No.
I'll give you one better, how about a president of the United States, gaslighting the entire country that White supremacies the number one problem, when that president was mentored by a klu- Klux- klansman!
He benefited from white privilege!
😂🤣😅 he is so good he not only escaped the prison but destroyed all documents he was ever in there ... oh Dr Grande has the best sense of humor! 😆
this guy really took "fake it till you make it" to heart!
🤥Facts!
LOLOLOL
Or build it and they will come (even if it a house of cards).
hes a con man
His greatest scam is when he pretended he knew how to flip burgers to land a job at Mc Donald's. He was fired the following day because of all the burgers stuck in the ceiling.
"He not only broke out of prison, he destroyed any record that he was ever there." Wow LOL
hahaaaaaaaaaaaa
Poor fella never expected the world to get to a point where a person could just whip a device out of their pocket and use it to call him out on his bullshit within mere seconds.
"Hmmm... Says here you're full of shit, Frank."
Well that's the whole modus operandi of the credit card fraud days. You wrote a bad check skip town before it bounces. Nowadays you have to know Nigerian royalty.
@@joeyjojojrshabadoo7462
Wait. I just exchanged a lottery ticket with them !! 😉😉😁
LOL
@@AlphanumericCharacters he probably thought "what's her obsession w me winning the Olympics wtf, .she must be a gold-digger mining for truth...or it's still about that 1970s Sears, men's jeans catalog."
Thanks for your comment Frank. Lol
@@AlphanumericCharacters dood, when I was going to OU, there was this 12 year old kid at my gym who spun the biggest crazy yarn about the Olympics AND his parents I have ever heard! He started off slow over a period of weeks, so at first it sounded plausible. But then it got so crazy that i was like "okay, this is BS!" Check it:
1. He said his parents were millionaires who owned the gym we were going to (that part might be somewhat true? Because he was there a lot and sometimes he'd be doing homework, though I never saw his parents meet him.)
2. He said his mom and dad were BOTH Olympic athletes (which still kind of makes sense, right? An Olympic athlete WOULD start a gym!)
3. But according to him it was, like, "it was the the Cold War! My parents were from opposite sides of the Iron Curtain--each one fighting for which ideology was RIGHT!" And he said there were all these spies following his mom because she was like the most AWESOME gymnast and "proved" Communism was better than democracy.
4. Like, so according to the kid, his dad was like Rocky Balboa and his mom was Dolph Lundgren or something (not literally but, like, a symbol): he said his dad was the first male U.S. gymnast to win the Gold in eight decades, but then his mom swooped in and stole his thunder by getting I think TWO gold medals and a "Perfect 10".
5. [So.... that's a little suss because, if you watched the Tokyo olympics, you know that people don't just get a Perfect 10.] But he covered his tracks by claiming "oh no, my mom was the FIRST to EVER get a perfect 10! That's why it was a big deal!" So, okay, a perfect ten isn't crazy. People get holes in one, too...
6. .. but they tend to do it maybe once in a lifetime! But then the kid blew it be telling me his mom got "SEVEN" perfect tens!
And I remember that number very specifically because I asked him what year, and he said 1976, and that doesn't add up--she got like 2-3 medals that year, but not 7! At least based on what he said first!
7. But then I caught him in ANOTHER lie because I asked the name of his mom's coach.. I can't remember the name but it was a real gymnastics coach, and he's still a live today... but I looked him up and he was a couch for the AMERICANS--specifically Mary Lou Retton! So, not some Romanian! And the kid said "oh no he did both" but, dude, I hardly think a coach at the HEIGHT of the Cold War will train an American and ALSO a Romanian (and by the way his name, if anything, sounded Hungarian, not Romanian!).
8. The kid (can't remember his first name, though I wouldn't say it if I did) the kid then tried to convince me that actually, his mom and Mary Lou Retton hung out at the 1984 Olympics and SHARED a coach. But I checked, and the Communists boycotted the Olympics in 1984! So how could this kid's mom have been there? (Later I checked, and the name he gave me for his mom didn't appear on the Olympics for that year.)
... so stuff kept not adding up. And according to him his mom and dad were photographed kissing but then didn't see each other again for decades (he showed me the picture on his phone but he didn't look like EITHER person--later I saw his dad and he was just some old dude with glasses).
9. Oh, and get this: he also said his mom was followed by the Romanian secret police but that ALSO she was dating the son of the President or Romania, so that doesn't make sense! AND that she ended up defecting to the U.S.... but not until 1989, which was the year that communism ended anyway, so that didn't add up...
10. But despite all the above, I'm so gullible that I still kind of believed him until he told me that his mom was such a famous gymnast, that they named a song after her and it became a HUGE hit, and that David HASSLEHOFF recorded it! THE HOFF!! Like, before Knight Rider was a show! ;)
So... to recap, the kids' mom was a perfect gymnast who was also a spy but also had a hit record sung by David Hasslehoff? Oh, and I forgot that his dad was supposedly in a movie called "Rad!" It's like someone pointed at a page in a book of 80s slang and said "make up a lie about that!"
I dunno,... this wasn't a child-child, this was a kid old enough to know the difference from fantasy and reality. But he just made up this HUGE lie! And why, you know?
Maybe the guy from your work was the real dad of this kid? Maybe he's from a big con-artist family? One thing's for sure, though--I doubt the kid has a Romanian mom because his last name was "Conner" which, I dunno, doesn't exactly look Romanian! ;)
It’s like a fraud, within a fraud, within a fraud
A turducken?!? 😂
lol
Fraudception ! With Di Caprio !
True! Reminds me of Deadpool...a fourth wall break inside of a fourth wall break. That's like 16 wall breaks!
Reminds me of Lorenzo Carcaterra, whose so-called autobiographical novel was made a movie.
Never let the truth get in the way of a good story.
Give Mark Twain the credit and cite him.
Ahahahaha, good one!
Concur...
That should be the motto of (nearly) every news media organization. And congressional investigation panel.
The American media, in a nutshell.
I always thought certain details from this case didn’t quite add up. Someone that boastful about their “career” in lying obviously isn’t telling the whole truth. My honest opinion is that he’s a pathological liar, and will continue to lie about his story as long as it glorifies him or generates profit. Good analysis. I was looking forward to a video tonight.
well ... not much in real life "adds up" ..
@@rhuephus Hmmm. Different subject but okay! Thank you for the random fact
@@HexagonFL as Frank always told me, if you can't convince them, confuse the hell out of 'em
@@rhuephus Wow you’re really smart I wish I could be as smart as you
@@HexagonFL
You're getting trolled, just don't respond.
I must admit, I swallowed the whole story as largely true. The biggest flaw I think I made, was assuming that the FBI or other authority would correct the record if it weren't true. This is not the case. The FBI has no vested interest in the non-criminal activity of a storyteller.
The FBI also has no vested interest in the truth.
The problem I have is he claimed to do all this in a matter or 3 years. 20k flights and scam in LA, GA, FL, France, NY. he was a two bit hustler who embellished his story. There is also no record of him ever working with the FBI or these companies or schools ever having a record of any of this.
@@xokayb7l2 That's what it seems. He made himself by conning people into believing he was con man extraordinary. And people (including me) believed him because we assumed such a lie would be found out.
in the same way the DoD was silent on the conspicuous lies of Chris Kyle and Marcus Lutrell.
@@bobbyologun1517 Perhaps, though in those cases I don't think they were making claims about the FBI.
Abignale asserted quite a lot about the Bureau.
The lesson here is that the FBI isn't a fact checking agency.
Frank: Catch me if you can.
Dr. Todd: I can.
Deserves 1k 👍
*UNDER RATED COMMENT!*
I am genuinely perplexed and dont know how to feel. Doesnt the fact he sold his story and probably made a packet despite it all being lies actually make him a great conman?? Is this a self fulfilling prophecy? Can we be mad that a guy who was telling us he was a fraudster the whole time is actually a fraudster??? This has messed up my head. Thanks Dr grande
The lie was that he was a really great con-man, who made lots of money, had great sophistication and supposedly did very high end capers ... and never got caught except for one time ... after which he became an FBI agent or consultant? When in reality, he did very small, low dollar cons and was caught many, many times.
@@joanneblack7697 "The lie was that he was a really great con-man, who made lots of money, had great sophistication and supposedly did very high end capers ... and never got caught except for one time" Yeah. That means that if his background is false, then his fame today is due precisely what you just described. Either way, he wins, and you have to tip your hat to that.
"When in reality" So, after what has been said, either scenario ends with the same result. His history is real and he was a noteworthy conman, or his history was a sham and he fooled people into making a movie about him. Either one of those result in him making lots of money and remaining famous. He is an expert in fraud.
i think the same thing, like doesnt the fact he conned the world into thinking he was the greatest con actually make him the greatest con too? lol
this is 4D chess level mind fucking lol
@@ShimrraJamaane thank u, u have summed up my thoughts exactly
@@specter86fl I see Bernie Madoff as a bigger con man. Just based on the amount of money he stole, and the way he made people feel "lucky" to be represented by him.
If there ever is or was a exceptionally smart, talented and gifted criminal con artist we would likely never know about that person and they would likely never discuss or talk about their life with anyone.
Exactly!!
We call those people bankers, politicians, lawyers, licensed venture capitalists, time share salesmen, motivational speakers, preachers, and the like.
@@DrogoBaggins987 No, we already know many of them are shysters! LOL!
@@garmtpug None of them would have careers if "we" already knew.
But i get what you mean.
Doubtful. If you were all those things and got away with it. Would you remain quiet knowing nobody would be able to recognize the effort and skill to accomplish your daring achievements? Why it could be said that you never really did any of those genius cons and extraordinary burglaries and robberies. You didn't leave anything behind that could prove otherwise.
As a general rule when a movie claims to be "based on a true story" the story told in the movie is not true. It's just a movie.
If someone's story sounds larger than life, it's probably just their ego that's inflated.
So well said
Exactly. And anyone that’s a self proclaimed “expert” is all talk.
It's like listening to Gianni Russo (Carlo from The Godfather). You want to believe all these stories of his affairs with famous actresses, but you know deep down that he is making most of it up.
Why would he only claim to be the youngest and only person to escape. He could have also claimed he was the oldest, the meanest, the cleanest, and the stupidest!😜
And why would he have been in a federal prison if he had only been arrested in France!
The way the human personality works is endlessly fascinating. Grande’s analyses of people’s decisions and choices, criminal and otherwise, are always interesting and useful. Thanks, Grande.
Oddly enough I attended high school with a pathological liar who while in high school made multiple claims about his family wealth, his adventures during summer break, his skills, etc. The only part of all his stories that ended up accurate was that he ended up becoming a commercial airline pilot. This was verified by multiple people who had nothing to gain by covering up his youthful lack of honesty. His lack of veracity came up a couple of times when I was back home and visited with former school friends. Our consensus was that he was a very intelligent person who finally focused on his dream job and found a way to secure a path to success in that field.
But he still was full of crap about everything else!
I became interested in learning about pathological liars once I began to get suspicious about my niece. In high school she enjoyed being in the orchestra. Due to poor grades in most other subjects, she was only able to gain acceptance to a low rated state college, where she desired to pursue a degree in music. Just before dropping/flunking out, she posted on Facebook that she had been offered a full ride to Juilliard. She let that ride for awhile before posting that she had declined the offer due to the fact that she’d be homesick.
There have been numerous other fabrications, but that one was so juicy.
@@jankirschke7425 I just looked up the criteria to get a Juilliard scholarship. "Merit is determined based on the student's entrance audition and academic history." I would imagine her poor grades would have precluded any kind of scholarship.
@@garmtpug Correct! She’s a doozy!
@@jankirschke7425 LOL!
Makes sense. He falsely declared his innocence when that served his circumstances, then falsely declared himself some kind of criminal mastermind when it became advantageous to do so. Malignant narcissists don’t change, but they do evolve.
He's not a malignant narcissist
I don't think he's a narcissist, just a pathological liar.
@@aeris2001 he scammed an innocent family out of thousands of dollars and preyed on women who didn't want anything to do with him. He's a scumbag
“Some people are shocked and disappointed. They just can’t believe a person who manipulated and defrauded people could ever be deceptive.” 😆
Eh, at least it made for a good movie. Also, I've worked in the banking industry for almost 20 years. A lot of details in the movie regarding check fraud methods were quite accurate. Check fraud used to be very easy to get away with, at least in comparison to how it is today. Abagnale didn't accomplish much back then, and he'd probably be arrested immediately if he tried it now.
I remember him saying during that Google speech that the stuff he pulled off back then is exponentially easier nowadays. Everything. Would you agree with his statement? In regards to check fraud methods or just being a conman in general. Perhaps it is due to the increase in technology and simultaneously bad security systems etc. Or it's just become way easier to manipulate, lie to or con people in general.
@@god2112 It's a bit of a mixed bag. The methods he used back in the day were simplistic and relied mainly on the target being too lazy and/or not following through on due diligence. A modern teller with just a couple months of experience should be able to immediately spot his fake checks due to their lack of MICR ink and watermark, the type of paper used, etc. It was easier to get away with back then because everything was analog; if you wanted to verify an account, you'd have to physically find its file or call another branch. It could take over 30 minutes, so most bank employees didn't want to deal with the hassle. But these days, bank databases are all online; you can verify someone's account, their signature, check sequencing, transaction records, fraud flags, etc. within seconds. Again, that's assuming that the target is doing their due diligence. A lot of them don't, and have to learn the hard way.
That all being said, check fraud has long gone out of style and replaced with more sophisticated methods. Everything being online makes processing much more efficient and convenient, but it also makes targets that much more exposed. You can find someone's personal information with just a quick Google search, and more private details via social engineering, and then use that to try accessing their accounts. And that's not even getting into stuff like spoofing phone numbers, catfishing for money laundering, skimming, phishing, etc. Abagnale wouldn't have to go into a airline to obtain a fake ID; he could Photoshop his own and call in for a uniform by using the records of some pilot. And his efforts could be disguised via burner phones and VPNs. So there'd be less risk for him directly. It's just a matter of how careful the targets are.
I don’t know what mr.abagnale is talking about but he wouldn’t get away with his identity schemes with all the facial recognition ,voice recognition apps that the banks and government use nowadays.
The cameras back then were almost non existent .
People were more trusting.
Frank the lier had it easy if did any crime at all as he claims.
I had a pathological liar in my life. It got to the point that if they'd said the sky was blue, I wouldn't believe them. Very tiresome and irritating to have someone trying to insult your intelligence all the time.
Thanks, Doc.
Perfect timing! ☕ Coffee and Dr. Grande. 🌵❤
The movie is very entertaining regardless. Leo did such a great job impersonating Frank.
I would have to say that's one of my favorite movies. Maybe I like real or just the concept of that movie itself it was just very slick and just very interesting
If the “facts” are disproven, then he wasn’t impersonating anyone.
@@richardvinsen2385 He was impersonating Frank, who was also impersonating Frank.
Or at least impersonating his persona.
WAS GOOD MOVIE BACK IN THE DAY IT WAS EASIER FOR CRIMINALS TO GET AWAY WITH CERTAIN TYPES OF CRIMES.
My first boyfriend was the assistant director at a summer camp that I worked at. He eventually started coming up with some real whoppers. He said that he was an ex priest who got excommunicated and went on to to get a masters and a doctorate and teach Brittany Spears Spanish at JMU. He also was a veteran who got injured in the line of duty but did not get a Purple Heart (there was some elaborate reason for that of course). We snuck into the director’s office next year to check out his real resume. It was quite obviously less exciting than the one he presented. And yes, I was stupid for dating him. It’s why I don’t judge youth who make bad decisions too harshly 😂
Love how you broke into the director's office to check out his real resume lol... True detective lol x
Sounds like Joe Biden!
The criminal justice system was way too lenient on this guy.
Yes, he seemed to have very light sentences time after time!
maybe that was intended. Charles Manson was treated very lightly until the Tate/LaBianca murders... These timelines broadly overlap....
They were easier on crime back then.
Maybe the crimes he actually committed were not as grand as the crimes he claims to have committed.
There is quote from him saying that he started to learn at young age that if crime is done with class everone would take it lenient.
You can't stop a conman from being a conman.
Oh my heart- just when I needed an analysis of what might be happening......
2:39 Frank even managed to sneak in to Dr. Grandes office to have his picture taken in front of Dr. Grandes famous brick wall!
Nice!
He reminds me of Tommy Flanigan, Jon Lovitz' old character on SNL.
"I'm a..a..I'm a doctor! Yeah. No, no, I'm a, uh, an FBI agent! No, that's not it. Why, I'm a, uh, I'm a PILOT! YEAH, a pilot! That's it! That's the ticket! That's the ticket!"
Lying all the time, it's like a disease. The guy's got liabetes!
😂😂😂
@@moniqueloomis9772 lol. I knew somebody else would remember that skit! 🤣
Thank you for doing Frank Abagnale - He's a fascinating character & your summarizations are multi faceted, well researched, hilarious and interesting.
The defamation lawsuit will no doubt be forthcoming....................crickets...............................crickets...............................crickets......................
This reminds me of a popular clergyman who did speaking tours talking about his former escapades of sex, drugs and rock n roll, and massive wealth before his conversion. He also told heroic stories of his military background. Further investigation found that he made up the military stories, had no record of wealth, and hadn't quit the sex or drugs.
I LOVE this video. I wish Dr Grande was a consultant for a good production company. I'd love to see documentaries or features that have their eye on real psychology. Reality is always more interesting.
Oh Frank. What have you done?
Dr. Grande the Komodo Dragon of analysis and speculation. Not only ripping FA jnr’s story apart, but shredding Hollywood on his inevitable March forward. Absolutely brutal for Frank and top bombing by Dr. Grande 🍀
I’ve noticed that the famous treasure hunting case of Forest Fenn has come to a close last year. Perhaps a video about the man himself or the famous treasure hunt he put together would make for an interesting video topic.
Yep. Every time someone died searching he would be in the local papers.
It’s not only the lies and grifting that stun me, it’s the nerves of steel this guy has to be able to manufacture and then see through the charades. I read the book and believed it so I really appreciate your revealing the truth.
I saw that film and believed it hook, line, and sinker... Thanks Dr Grande for another great expose
I really wanted to believe it, so my mind allowed me to.
I first saw him on Carson years ago , then I saw his book , bought the book and believed it all .
I don’t understand why people are shocked or disappointed that his story is just that- a story. To me, even the DVD extras of his interviews seemed like he was full of it and I was a teen when that movie came out. I enjoyed the movie for entertainment but never really thought it was a feasible for him to do all of that even in more naive and less technological times. The timeline alone was nonsense in his interviews.
been flat out with work, but always love hearing your speculation :) gratz on 1M subs!!!
An interesting sidenote I read was one of the journalists who recently published an article debunking Abagnale's story mentioned a woman who knew Abagnale while he was impersonating a pilot. She was a flight attendant who Abagnale was infatuated with, and he essentially stalked her by flying on the same flights as her. They never got together, but she was not assertive enough to tell him to buzz off. He inserted himself into her life, and even met her parents, who really liked him.
This sounds oddly similar to the movie subplot where Leonardo DiCarprio's Abagnale falls in love with a nurse, gets engaged to her, and meets her parents. It sounds like the exact kind of idealized, fictional version of true events that Abagnale would create. The life he recounted was the life he wished he lived, and this sounds exactly how he'd frame that.
Catch me if you can! You’re prolific Dr. Grande, I hope you can keep it up. Luckily pop culture keeps popping, providing us with a regularly supply of human inspiration and nonsense.
Especially nonsense!
Tom, look for Jean Claude Romand or Stéphane Bourgoin if you want exemple of extreme liars. It's hell of a ride :)
I read that book three times. I was a bit wary of the details, but it’s a great tale nonetheless.
He was also a spokesperson for AARP's podcast, "The Perfect Scam." He abruptly disappeared from the podcast without a word of explanation from AARP or anyone else. It's all being swept under the rug. He pulled off another "Perfect Scam." Listen to a fantastic podcast, "Pretend" hosted by Javier Leiva, if you care to spend more time on this subject. If not, "Pretend" has many interesting stories. (I have no affiliation.)
He successfully conned those admiring con artists. Oh! The irony!
I love this case, I always am learning more! It's utterly enthralling, thank you Dr Grande!
Thank you for this. I became suspicious when I heard his talks online. They are too rehearsed. I felt I was being lied to. 😪 guess I was right.
Theres a few of them I've seen. He memorized them by rote.
Hardest working man on CZcams!
🎯
Without a doubt!
I'm sooo bummed now! I really enjoyed the book, the things he claimed to have gotten away with were impressive!
And now, to find out that this con man was LYING? IT'S JUST TOO MUCH!
Thanks for the video! 💕🌴
The movie was fun, though misleading
Look mate, remember one thing well. ANYTHING you see in TV is what the producer want you to see. Everything is scripted! Nothing is real.
I enjoyed your analysis, it brought me back to reality after watching the movie.
Back in 79 and 80 he was a speaker at our regional DECA conference. He was so impressive. He was there two years in a row. I met him both times. With thousands of people he remembered my name. I was impressed. Not sure how I feel now.
he isnt stupid
like most grifters, he is very personable
he gives his story, which blows your mind and then when he speaks about everything else, it's all generalities and common sense stuff and you think he is a genius
elizabeth holmes pulled the exact same con
Hi Dr. Grande!! You'd be a great teacher honestly!!
I do think he is a teacher already. But i'm not sure.
He is a teacher.
What a great topic, I am so glad you covered this!
Excellent final thoughts, so on point- “people are shocked and disappointed, they just can’t believe that a person who manipulated and defrauded people can ever be deceptive.”
Lovely video Dr. Grande, I truly enjoyed.❤️
Yes, how shocking! 😨 A con man wrote a book filled with lies! I really never thought he was being honest. He went a little too far with his stories. Just a little bit! 😉
@@LDiamondz I know right?! I think Maya Angelou said something on those lines “when people show who they are, believe it the first time.” 😕
@@rejaneoliveira5019 Yes. That's great advice from Maya Angelou. It's true, every time. That's one of my favorite quotes. 😍
By Hollywood standards, Frank can still honestly claim that his book and movie are "based on a retelling inspired by actual events."
I recently read a book exposing most of Abagnale's lies. It's pretty good. When you read it all, you find this guy is way creepier than you would think.
So you remember the title?
@@Andreamom001 It's called "The Greatest Hoax on Earth"
He's like the liar played by John Lovitz on SNL back in the day, "yea.. that's the ticket".
Thank you Dr Grande , the content you upload daily , never fails to make my day.
Hello Dear😊He makes my day too. Have a beautiful evening there🌉⭐🌻🍬🍵💕💚💕
@@zenawarrior7442 Hello beautiful friend , hope you're well 4-30am Saturday here 😘❤💙💚💖
@@cottontails9003 Hello lovely💞I am well thank you. 430am girl? You're an early bird 🐦lol. Have a fantastic Saturday!😉💖🌷🍀🧁🌈 (Ps 1050am here Fri)
@@zenawarrior7442 Beautiful friend, have been working evening shifts in icu , hard to comment, since Dr Grande, changed times , only work 3 days a week. 😜❤💙💚💖🌷🌷🌸🌸
@@cottontails9003 Oh my. You're a Dr or nurse? Hats off to you dear one🏥😘💕👏. Oh yes can see why hard to comment with your schedule, our time difference, Dr G posting at night. Please take good care.😚🧡🧡💚💚❣❣Always a joy to correspond with you🌸🌹🥂🧭☀️🌟
Thanks Dr. Grande. I give 3 hr didactics for doctoral psych interns and CPE residents on sociopathy and use him as an example of an ONGOING con man who plays into our desire to believe (as well as plays the sympathy card to lower our defenses, which is one tell of sociopathy)- This is a nice compilation of info.
Classic Dr. G!! "Everyone knows research is Hollywood's specialty." 😆 Thanks for clearing this up Dr. G. Considering the movie title, he sure did get caught a lot!!!. 👍
I spent about six months with Frank back in the early 70's. I had no idea who Frank Abignale Jr. was and my job was working on a film to promote his consulting business. I wouldn't say I believed everything he told me but I do believe he was a true conman attempting to resuscitate his image. In my time with Frank I learned how easy it was fool people. At a bank in Houston, Texas we convinced the bank president to let Frank try and cash a truly bogus check with his best and most trusted teller. Frank walked up to the teller and handed a twenty five dollar check he made from scratch using a a cut and paste kit and a Xerox color copier. Those copiers were huge back in the day. The check was signed 'I just screwed you' and the 'best teller' cashed it. Just like in the movie Frank smooth talked the poor teller and used his misdirection conversational skills to do it. It was something to see. My job was to photograph the scam from beginning to end. There were more incidents like this that I witnessed. The French prison stuff and fake pilot stuff seemed farfetched to me even back then. As a side note the Frank Jr. capture scene in the movie was pretty funny to me. The arresting officer in the movie was Frank himself.
I admit to becoming an admirer of his after watching him speak to several audiences in recent years. In the movie they made it look like he fabricated dozens and dozens of phoney cheques. They each must have been for $5 to achieve a grand total of $1500. Thanks for the heads up.
Your fearlessness is taking down high-profile criminals and con artists is admirable. I think it's vitally important someone does it, and you do it so incredibly incisively.
Yes! With a scalpel!🍴
It's more profitable to be fraudulent about your fraud
Thank you Dr Grande for your analysis in this case. In the movie it was shown that Frank had a strange connection with his dad. It was like Frank was continuing to do these crimes because his father led him on his path to do so. I remember when Frank asked his father to make him stop and he (father) did not say anything to make Frank stop. It was very strange that in reality he did not have a relationship with his dad. I guess that's Hollywood for ya.
You have become a household name for my family! I'm so happy I found you! Thank you for your calm behavior along with a little comedy that I find amazing in your delivery! I love your videos!
I read about the discrepancies in his story when my friend got a job at some firm of his in Charleston and told me about him and literally no one ever believed me when I said the catch me if you can guy was full of shit. I'm glad you made this video. Also even though I know it's not really true I still really love the movie with Leo and Tom Hanks
Your proof?
@@imagrandpa If you're asking for proof that his story is exaggerated/fabricated, just look it up, Dr Grande usually just cribs from the first few Google results anyway. If you want proof my friend worked at his firm - no. I have none and even if I did I was simply relaying a personal anecdote related to the topic of the video. I am not trying to prove my story beyond a reasonable doubt here, my guy. Believe it or don't.
Thank you for helping me start my day with a laugh Dr. Grande!
Good work. The website of his business has changed the story over the years. I have been checking on this story for several years.
I can’t get enough of Dr Grande’s wry take on reality, viz: “Some people are shocked and disappointed; they just can’t believe that someone who defrauded people could ever be deceptive.”
By the way that bit about him never seeing his dad again is also untrue. His dad bailed him out *twice* during his criminal career.
He started out as a creepy small time con man, and nothing ever really changed he just got older.
Now he's just a run of the mill creepy old man who lies.😜 Great comment! ❤
"What's new? We Always Wear Masks": Here is another story of the Trickster (see Paul Radin, The Trickster: A Study in American Indian Mythology, 1956). The trickster is an archetypal figure worldwide, making appearances in every known culture. The trickster always displays a hidden knowledge, like flying jet aircraft or performing surgery or negotiating Wall Street trades. In the case of Frank Abagnale, we have the same stock figure common to all mythology. Frank displays that wonderful sense of detachment from the conventional world, a detachment which would be intoxicating to most of us. For him the world simply consists of stage props and other masked characters: the government agent, the bank official, and the stooge. It's easy to see why his life story translates so well as a movie because for him life is only a performance. There's nothing real. It's all for show. And it's all about what you can get away with in front of an admiring audience. Thank you for reading.
Wow I'm amazed this was covered here. I saw this movie when I was 17, was blown away, then read the book The book is so absurdly outlandish that I started trying to find articles of his exploits in the New York Times Archive. There was absolutely nothing. I emailed Brigham Young about the claims that he posed as a teacher there, and they said that all the persons who taught at the time in question were accounted for and real - but he was not one of them.
If he had accomplished half of the stuff he claims (especially his prison escapes), t would've been all over the press but there was literally nothing. The story was made up. How come I was able to figure this out as a 17 year old but then professional journalists just repeat his made up tale verbatim and without question???
9:56 "Only and youngest... " I guess "only and oldest" would be just as true. Only and any adjective for that matter, take your pick!
I could never be Frank- I’d be too embarrassed to face people after all those lies!
I love his flat sarcasm sprinkled in, lol “maybe it’s one of those corporate kids camps”
"This isn't a biopic but a picture of a "biographical, hypothetical, and inspired by a desire to see what could be happening in a simular situation"
- Steven Spielberg
Grande tackles the grandiose and it is grand!
Man, I can't get away with lying about the tiniest thing without getting caught. I think part of me is jealous that someone could get away with such big lies.
I remember watching when you only had less than 100k subs and your content has always been top notch! So happy to see you reach over a million now!! Well deserved 🥳
You should do an analysis of the story of Captain Phillips. Compare what the members of his crew said happened and what kind of person he was vs the lionized heroic portrayal by Tom Hanks.
This deserves another movie sequel.
thank you so much for this video! I always enjoy your wonderful videos!
Omg what a cool topic to cover.
Dr. Grande keeps me company while I get ready for work. Always excellent timing.
Dr G. Can you PLEASE speculate on what might be going on with the trucker convoy protests in Canada? Canadians, revolting? How can it be so?
I always found it hard to believe that he could function as a doctor & as a lawyer for long periods of time without his employers/coworkers figuring out he wasn’t qualified.
Yes, I could see him faking credentials in the days before the Internet & employers buying it at the time of hiring, but it seems extremely unlikely that he could do those jobs competently enough to keep working with zero training.
Sounds like a fascinating guy.
Did I get your birthday wrong?
Your humor is stellar.
Thank you.
Peace 💕🇺🇲
How odd; I just happened to have watched the movie. Are you saying that he is not a multi millionaire for developing security features? He didn't "study for 2 weeks" and pass the bar?Apparently he is very good at conning people because in the extra DVD features someone (I think it was Spielberg) said that, after talking to Frank for just a few minutes, he could see how he pulled off the deceptions with his charismatic personality.
Thank you for ruining one of my favorite movies! 😒
P.S. ~ I still love you 🤗
Well, there was still a lot to love about the movie, Chris Walken and Tom Hanks just to name two.
The movie is still great. The story doesn't need to be real to be good. Also, I think it's kind a cool in a crazy way that he managed to pull this off for decades...I mean he may not have done all those things he said he did, but he managed to make the whole world believe it...that's special as well.
@@Ray_2112 I know; I was joking about Dr. G ruining it. 😏
Too funny that Frank was on the show To Tell The Truth. Thanks again Dr. Grande for another great video that are always interesting and entertaining. I learn something new each and every time about our human condition.
this case loosely reminds me of james frey, an author who got tons of attention on oprah for his supposed memoir "a million little pieces", which was eventually fact-checked and apparently contained tons of fabrications/outright lies. James wanted his supposed autobiographical account to appear way more interesting/impressive than it was
Yes. That would be a great case for Dr. Grande to analyze.
Yeah people were upset that a junkie lied to them? This is similar - a known conman pulled a con...
I remember that story on Oprah as well. Would be an excellent case for Dr. Grande to cover.
"Sleepers" is another book that was fake.
toweley
Thank you for exposing this sinister creep, who continues to victimize people on the lecture circuit.
I've heard Frank Abagnale tell his life history several times and included an interview he gave on the Johnny Carson show. His story never seems to vary like he's reading from a script or a comedian giving a monologue with the audience laughing from time to time. Thanks for exposing this guy for the fraud he is.
I worked with Frank in Houston, Texas at the grocery store mentioned. He was my manager. This is when he was on parole or probation but we didn’t know it at that time. He showed us a photograph album with pictures of him in his pilot’s uniform surrounded with female flight attendants in their uniforms. He dated one of my friends that worked in the grocery store. He was a very nice guy . When the movie came out, needless to say I was shocked! I emailed him at his business email address. He responded saying he remembered me and sent me his books, Catch Me if You Can and The Art of the Deal, along with his business card and a promo card about his movie.
Frank turned his life around and is married with a family.
Whatever Frank was or did, the bottom line is that he paid for his criminal ways and is now a good citizen with a legit business.
Hmm, selling a fake autobiography for 42 years, the book you mention, and getting paid $30,000 a lecture to talk about a fake biography? His book is still listed as non-fiction. Is that a legit operation?
LEGIT ????????????????
I’m so sad to find this out. I enjoyed the movie, and later I saw a talk he gave to google. It was great. I was impressed with what he said.
It’s not a shock to find out it was mostly a con, but I’m sad that it is.
What is sad is "bigger than life" characters like him hoard all the attention from the trully great people around.
They are mediocre but LUCKY liars. Nothing to brag about.
@@Koozomec True. I have no admiration for cheaters and liars.
It's also sad that he hurt and conned people that trusted him that could ill afford it.
It’s also sad that ppl are sad that his con stories are cons.
Watch. Now he's going to tell everyone the greatest, most renowned, psychiatric expert in the world did a scathing analysis of him in a video on youtube.
And nobody's going to believe him. 🤣
Great job, Dr. Grande! 👍
LD - Great comment!🎖🏆🏅
@@bthomson Hey, thanks!❤ I'm surprised Frank doesn't have his own channel on here. As part of his faux redemption tour. Sheesh...😒
So good
Good video. I often wonder if stories like Frank Abagnale's are true, because Hollywood loves to bring outrageous, supposedly "true" stories to the big screen. I believe at least 50% of stories like this are bunk. Hollywood doesn't care about truth. Hollywood cares about selling tickets. How do I know this? Because I've worked in the biz as a writer for thirty-five years. Even the most faithful efforts to adapt true stories will embellish like there's no tomorrow. Remember, film is a visual medium. If a film can't tell its story with 90% visuals and 10% dialogue or narration, then it is a failure. The best directors, like Hitchcock, DePalma, Kubrick, Spielberg, and Scorsese know this. This is why I've never been a fan of Tarantino. His films rely too much on dialogue. But a film based on a true event will still sacrifice truth to what looks good on screen, which is a form of visual embellishment. Films like this often begin media res, and the point of this is to keep the audience hooked. A great example would be Scorsese's Goodfellas, or Casino.
Love your analyses! Your thorough research, succinct ‘just the facts ma’am’-mixed with oh-so-Dry humor 😂-presentations, are always a treat!
Thank you. 💫
I thought he was the real deal. I had first heard about him through a bank teller in my family who had heard him give a talk before the internet days. I found the movie hard to get into and turned it off when they first showed him impersonating a pilot. Scamming people about being a scammer is a pretty good scam I guess.
I loved the movie Catch Me If You Can and also loved Frank's speech for Google. After realizing he made all of that up is his part of the speech where he talks about how guilty he feels for all of the crimes he committed. Amazing how he gives an entire lecture talking about how he committed crimes he never actually committed and then ends the speech by saying he isn't proud of it and feels guilty about it. It's just amazing.
Lol right on time Dr Grande 😁👍🏼💯
That closes another episode of "Trashing, Bashing and Roasting" with Dr Grande 😂