Summary | Excerpt | Reviews | Read-Alikes | Genres & Themes | Author Bio
How to Protect Yourself and Your Business from Fraud, America's #1 Crime
Critics' Opinion:
Readers' Opinion:
First Published:
Oct 2001, 240 pages
Paperback:
Nov 2002, 240 pages
A revealing look inside the predatory criminal mind from a former master of the con--the ultimate defense against even the craftiest crook.
The world--famous former con artist and bestselling author of Catch Me if You
Can now reveals the mind--boggling tricks of the scam trade--with
advice that has made him one of America's most sought--after fraud--prevention
experts.
"I had as much knowledge as any man alive concerning the mechanics of
forgery, check swindling, counterfeiting, and other similar crimes. Ever since
I'd been released from prison, I'd often felt that if I directed this knowledge
into the right channels, I could help people a great deal. Every time I went to
the store and wrote a check, I would see two or three mistakes made on the part
of the clerk or cashier, mistakes that a flimflam artist would take advantage
of. . . . In a certain sense, I'm still a con artist. I'm just putting down a
positive con these days, as opposed to the negative con I used in the past. I've
merely redirected the talents I've always possessed. I've applied the same
relentless attention to working on stopping fraud that I once applied to
perpetuating fraud."
In Catch Me if You Can, Frank W. Abagnale recounted his youthful
career as a master imposter and forger. In The Art of the Steal, Abagnale
tells the remarkable story of how he parlayed his knowledge of cons and scams
into a successful career as a consultant on preventing financial foul
play--while showing you how to identify and outsmart perpetrators of fraud.
Technology may have made it easier to track down criminals, but cyberspace has
spawned a skyrocketing number of ways to commit crime--much of it untraceable.
Businesses are estimated to lose an unprecedented $400 billion a year from fraud
of one sort or another. If we were able to do away with fraud for just two
years, we'd erase the national debt and pay Social Security for the next one
hundred years. However, Abagnale has discovered that punishment for committing
fraud, much less recovery of stolen funds, seldom happens: Once you're a victim,
you won't get your money back. Prevention is the best form of protection.
Drawn from his twenty-five years of experience as an ingenious con artist (whose
check scams alone mounted to more than $2 million in stolen funds), Abagnale's The
Art of the Steal provides eye-opening stories of true scams, with
tips on how they can be prevented. Abagnale takes you deep inside the world and
mind of the con artist, showing you just how he pulled off his scams and what
you can do to avoid becoming the next victim. You'll hear the stories of
notorious swindles, like the mustard squirter trick and the "rock in the
box" ploy, and meet the criminals like the famous Vickers Gang who
perpetrated them. You'll find out why crooks wash checks and iron credit cards
and why a thief brings glue with him to the ATM. And finally, you'll learn how
to recognize a bogus check or a counterfeit bill, and why you shouldn't write
your grocery list on a deposit slip.
A revealing look inside the predatory criminal mind from a former master of the
con, The Art of the Steal is the ultimate defense against even the
craftiest crook.
Chapter 1
PUTTING DOWN A POSITIVE CON
There's this thing they always say about con men: they live a chameleon
existence. That was certainly true for me. I'd find myself in an unfamiliar
situation and I'd quickly adapt. And that's just what I did when they sent me to
prison. I adapted to the role of prisoner, and I lived a life dictated by my
imagination. In so many ways, the role felt small and unreal, when in fact it
was the only real role I had lived in a long time.
Being cooped up in a confined space didn't suit me, so I sort of half-lived,
numbed to my existence, waiting patiently for a second chance. My battle plan
was to always be on my best behavior, in the hope that this would enable me to
get out early. The problem was, the better I behaved, the more convinced the
prison officials were that I was up to no good. Twice I came up for parole and
was refused. One of the members of the review committee actually said to me,
"I see that your ...
If you liked The Art of The Steal, try these:
by Maria Konnikova
Published 2017
An intriguing investigation into what makes a con artist, and why we continue to be duped by them.
by B. A. Shapiro
Published 2013
On March 18, 1990, thirteen works of art worth today over $500 million were stolen from the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston. It remains the largest unsolved art heist in history, and Claire Roth, a struggling young artist, is about to discover that there's more to this crime than meets the eye.
The Flower Sisters
by Michelle Collins Anderson
From the new Fannie Flagg of the Ozarks, a richly-woven story of family, forgiveness, and reinvention.
The House on Biscayne Bay
by Chanel Cleeton
As death stalks a gothic mansion in Miami, the lives of two women intertwine as the past and present collide.
The Funeral Cryer by Wenyan Lu
Debut novelist Wenyan Lu brings us this witty yet profound story about one woman's midlife reawakening in contemporary rural China.
Your guide toexceptional books
BookBrowse seeks out and recommends the best in contemporary fiction and nonfiction—books that not only engage and entertain but also deepen our understanding of ourselves and the world around us.
