Frank Abagnale

Frank Abagnale Speaker Biography

World-Renowned Cybercrime and Fraud Prevention Expert, 50-Year FBI Contributor, and Bestselling Author of Catch Me If You Can

Frank Abagnale is one of the world’s most recognized authorities on cybercrime, fraud prevention, identity theft, scams, forgery, social engineering, and secure documents. For more than five decades, he has worked with financial institutions, corporations, government agencies, and law enforcement organizations around the world, transforming an extraordinary early life into a career devoted to protecting others from fraud. In 2026, Abagnale marks 50 years of service to the FBI, where he has contributed his expertise without compensation and has lectured extensively at the FBI Academy and FBI field offices. More than 14,000 financial institutions, corporations, and law enforcement agencies use his fraud prevention programs.

Keynote Speaker Frank Abagnale at a Glance

• World-renowned authority on cybercrime, fraud prevention, identity theft, scams, forgery, social engineering, and secure documents.
• Celebrating 50 years of service to the FBI in 2026, including extensive work with the FBI Academy and field offices.
• More than 14,000 financial institutions, corporations, and law enforcement agencies use his fraud prevention programs.
• Bestselling author of Catch Me If You Can and inspiration for Steven Spielberg’s acclaimed film starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hanks.
• Author of The Art of the Steal, Stealing Your Life and Scam Me If You Can and a leading educator on modern fraud and identity theft.
• International keynote speaker combining compelling storytelling with practical strategies for protecting people and organizations from increasingly sophisticated fraud.

50 Years of Fighting Fraud

Abagnale has spent the overwhelming majority of his professional life helping organizations understand how criminals exploit weaknesses in technology, business processes, financial systems, and human behavior. His relationship with the Federal Bureau of Investigation spans five decades. He has lectured at the FBI Academy and FBI field offices and has shared his expertise with law enforcement professionals on fraud, forgery, identity theft, secure documents, and cybercrime. In 2023, InfraGard and the FBI honored Abagnale with InfraGard’s first Lifetime Achievement Award for his longtime work with InfraGard, the FBI, and FBI CyberCamp. That same year, he became an honorary member of the Society of Former Special Agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Cybercrime, Identity Theft and AI-Enabled Fraud

As technology evolves, so do the methods criminals use to steal money and information. Abagnale continually updates his research and presentations to address emerging threats, including cybercrime, identity theft, social engineering, business email compromise, sophisticated scams, and fraud enhanced by artificial intelligence. His central message is straightforward: because money lost through fraud can be extremely difficult to recover, prevention is critical. He shows audiences how criminals think, where vulnerabilities occur, and what individuals and organizations can do to make themselves more difficult targets. Rather than overwhelming audiences with technical terminology, Abagnale translates complex security threats into practical information people can understand and use.

Catch Me If You Can

Abagnale became internationally famous through Catch Me If You Can, the bestselling memoir that inspired Steven Spielberg’s 2002 motion picture starring Leonardo DiCaprio as Abagnale and Tom Hanks as FBI agent Carl Hanratty. The story was subsequently adapted into a Broadway musical. The extraordinary name recognition created by Catch Me If You Can is only one part of Abagnale’s story. His professional career has been defined by what came afterward: decades spent using his knowledge of deception, fraud, and human behavior to help governments, businesses, financial institutions, law enforcement agencies, and individuals better protect themselves.

Fraud Prevention Expert to Global Organizations

More than 14,000 financial institutions, corporations, and law enforcement agencies use Abagnale’s fraud prevention programs, and his work has taken him before audiences around the world. His corporate and financial-sector engagements have included prominent organizations such as UBS and Unico, while his advisory career has included long-term work with security and technology companies developing fraud detection, document security, authentication, and identity protection solutions. His expertise has made him particularly relevant to financial services, banking, insurance, technology, cybersecurity, government, and organizations responsible for protecting customer and employee information.

Author and Fraud Prevention Educator

In addition to Catch Me If You Can, Abagnale has written extensively about fraud, identity theft, scams, and personal security. His books include The Art of the Steal, which examines how modern fraudsters exploit businesses and individuals; Stealing Your Life, focused on identity theft and protecting personal information; and Scam Me If You Can: Simple Strategies to Outsmart Today’s Rip-off Artists, which gives consumers practical strategies for recognizing and avoiding scams. His ability to combine the perspective of someone who understands deception from the inside with decades of professional fraud prevention experience gives audiences an unusually memorable way to understand security risks.

Advisor on Security and Authentication

Abagnale’s expertise has also been applied directly to technologies designed to combat fraud. His advisory work has included two decades with Standard Register Company, where he helped create security features for negotiable instruments and other documents, and a decade with 41st Parameter, which developed fraud detection technology subsequently acquired by Experian. He has also advised Trusona on authentication technology designed to reduce reliance on traditional passwords. This work gives Abagnale a perspective that extends beyond identifying fraud to understanding how organizations can design systems and processes that make fraud more difficult to commit.

An Extraordinary Story of Transformation

The most compelling dimension of Abagnale’s story may be the contrast between his early life and the career he ultimately built. His presentations can combine the fascinating story audiences recognize from Catch Me If You Can with the lesser-known story of what happened afterward: his transition from a young offender to a professional who has devoted decades to helping protect others from the very types of crimes he once committed. His presentation materials describe this personal transformation as an important and inspiring component of his programs. For leadership audiences, his experience can also raise broader questions about choices, ethics, second chances, responsibility, redemption, and how people ultimately choose to use their talents.

Frank Abagnale Cybercrime and Fraud Prevention Keynote Speaker

Frank Abagnale brings audiences an unusual combination of worldwide name recognition, more than 50 years of fraud prevention expertise, extensive experience with the FBI and financial institutions, and an extraordinary ability to make complicated security issues understandable. His presentations are particularly well suited for corporate conferences, executive meetings, financial services organizations, banking and insurance events, cybersecurity conferences, government and law enforcement audiences, technology companies, associations, and organizations seeking to educate employees or customers about fraud and personal security. Audiences receive practical strategies they can use immediately while hearing from one of the most recognizable figures ever to transform firsthand knowledge of deception into a career dedicated to preventing it.

Protecting Organizations in a New Era of Fraud

Artificial intelligence and increasingly sophisticated digital tools are making it easier for criminals to impersonate trusted individuals, manipulate information, automate scams, and exploit vulnerabilities at unprecedented speed and scale. Frank Abagnale helps audiences understand that while the technology behind fraud continues to change, many successful attacks still depend on manipulating human trust. By combining current fraud prevention strategies with decades of experience studying deception and criminal behavior, he gives organizations a compelling perspective on how to recognize threats, reduce vulnerabilities, and build a stronger culture of security.