The Art of the Steal

By: Frank W. Abagnale

Narrated by: Barrett Whitener

Length: 8 hrs and 17 mins

Publisher's summary

In his celebrated best seller Catch Me If You Can, Frank 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 to businesses on preventing financial foul play - while revealing to listeners how they can 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. In fact, Frank Abagnale has discovered that punishment for fraud, much less recovery of stolen funds, is a rare occurrence. Prevention is the best form of protection. Drawn from his early years of experience as an ingenious con artist (whose check scams alone mounted to more than two million dollars in stolen funds) and his 25-year career on the other side of the law, The Art of the Steal provides eye-opening stories of true scams, with tips on how they could have been avoided.

©2001 Frank Abagnale, Jr. (P)2001 Blackstone Audiobooks

Critic reviews

"A useful work on business and personal privacy." (Library Journal)
"Captivating and useful." (Amazon.com)

Best book ever

I am 11 years old and I love this book I've listened to it at least 5 times on audible listen to it it's amazing

So insightful about finances and fraud!

Where does The Art of the Steal rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

It is hard to rank because it isn't a fiction book which makes it hard to follow, but there is a lot of information that can be very helpful. I got through it in parts. It took awhile, but it was worth it.

What was the most compelling aspect of this narrative?

Hearing about the many ways crooks will try to scan you out of your money. Amazing.

What do you think the narrator could have done better?

I think the narrator did a good job with the information given. It is a really dry subject.

What’s the most interesting tidbit you’ve picked up from this book?

The questions that he asks in the back of the book. They help you to find out how venerable you are when it comes to fraud, scamming and your finances. Very helpful.

Any additional comments?

This book is worth listening to.

Good knowledge but getting dated.

The Book has everything right but it's started to get dated in a few areas.

Financial fraud was never so interesting

I've changed some key things I do because of this book. I bought a shredder. I don't carry my social security card. Those seem obvious, but if you want to know why you should never, EVER toss out your ATM receipts anywhere near your ATM, listen to this book. The financial frauds are astounding, not only on the corporate scale, but also on the personal scale. Sprinkled liberally with his own brand of humor and stories from his own colorful past, he makes a potentially dry subject not only interesting, but downright entertaining.

A must read for a small business owner

This is a real eye opener, even though some of the WEB based stuff is outdated... Still makes you think! a must read for everyone, even if you are NOT part of the corporate world.

GOOD STUFF!!!!!!

very informative. CAUTION - may cause paranoia to set in. but all in all read very well. makes you want to watch the movie again

A tad outdated, but still worth listening to

A lot of emphasis is spent on check fraud in this book. As most people do not write checks anymore (I prefer electronic banking and my debit card), this does not have as much impact. However, I read "Stealing Your Life" by Frank Abagnale and it is a good update for more modern times.
Mr. Whitener's narration is very pleasing to the ear. I might have to check out other titles he has narrated.

Would've been great in 2001 - now VERY outdated

What would have made The Art of the Steal better?

This book was written in 2001. The information is completely out of date. I thought I was purchasing the story from the movie instead I listed to lecture after lecture of how to protect checks and avoid scams.

Any additional comments?

I bought this as a daily sale. Will be much more careful to avoid getting 'scammed' next time.

Very Limited and Misinformative

Frank Abernathy is very "Check Centered". This book has some very good descriptions about check safety, but sadly much of it is very dated. Advice such as choose a bank than requires you to pick up your checks at the bank. hmmm....

He also exposes his technology phobia clearly. On the internet he states simply that he recommends not using it!? He never does! I was hoping as the description leads the user to believe that there would be a wealth of information on how to protect your identity on the internet, not simply to "say no"...

Also this narrator is not one of my favorites. Very dry with a sarcastic tone to it that was irratating to me. It implied a dismissive, irrated tone that I don't know if the author meant it to have.

I got three quarters through really looking forward to the Internet section. Once I got there I was extremely disappointed, and thus disappointed with the entire book.

extremely boring

extremely boring and disappointing. the first two books were great but this one was a complete fail