PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- Frank Abagnale poses with law enforcement officers nowadays. But 35 years ago, he was one step ahead of law enforcement.
Abagnale was the con artist played by Leonardo DiCaprio in the movie "Catch Me If You Can."
"I had no fear -- like a kid driving down the freeway at 100 miles an hour," Abagnale said.
Abagnale now works with the FBI, helping to combat fraud. He shared his trade secrets at an identity theft summit organized by Rhode Island Attorney General Patrick Lynch.
"The resources he provides, the education he provides, that's how we start to make a dent," Lynch said.
As we saw in the movie, Abagnale cashed $2.5 million in phony checks.
"It takes a forger about eight seconds to memorize the face of your checks," Abagnale said.
His advice? Don't pay by check.
"Every time you write a check, you're leaving behind your name and address, your signature, your bank's name and address, and any other information they put on the check, like your license number and date of birth," Abagnale said. "Thousands of people are going to see that piece of paper."
Abagnale says don't use a regular pen to write your checks. A forger can intercept your checks and wash off the writing with regular household chemicals.
Abagnale recommends the uni-ball 207 gel pen. It costs about $2 at office supply stores.
"I tested 1,500 various pens, and this was the only pen I found that I could not with any known chemical or mixture of chemicals get to budge," Abagnale said.
If you have any doubt about whether you're at risk for identity theft, Abagnale said remember this: "I just went and did it."
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