The Art of the Steal : How to Protect Yourself and Your Business from Fraud, America's #1 Crime
Author: Frank W. Abagnale
List Price: $14.00
Our Price: Click to see the latest and low price
ISBN: 0767906845
Publisher: Broadway (12 November, 2002)
Sales Rank: 3,833
Average Customer Rating: 4.22 out of 5
Customer Reviews
Rating: 4 out of 5
A must-read for everyone, including digital security pros
I typically read and review books on digital security. I bought "The Art of the Steal" (TAOTS) after being captivated by "Catch Me If You Can." TAOTS is an incredible book, but not because it is a masterpiece of English literature. Rather, TAOTS is an amazing and personalized tour of a seedy underworld where ingenuity serves evil purposes. In this dark economy, criminals prey on the ignorance, greed, or benevolence of their victims. It's worth taking the time to read TAOTS, because it can help prevent you becoming a victim.I simply couldn't imagine some of the scams Abagnale explains. The audacity of the criminal mind cannot be underestimated. The author's discussions of check fraud, embezzlement, and creative ways to cheat retailers astounded me. His explanation of counterfeiting currency was especially prescient, as this week the US Treasury announced multicolor $20 bills. I wonder if Abagnale was consulted?
Although I really enjoyed the book, I gave it four stars. Abagnale should have included citations for his fraud stories. Otherwise, how can one be sure the tales are fact and not fiction? I would have also like a "lessons learned" or "best practices" summary at the end of each chapter. Nevertheless, I echo Tom Hank's recommend that everyone who has money should read TAOTS.
Rating: 4 out of 5
From the horses mouth
The Art of the Steal by Frank W. Abagnale is a must have for anyone with money. Abagnale, recently of "Catch Me If You Can" movie fame, was one of the youngest and most successful con-men of our time. After serving time and leaving the dark side for good, Abagnale reformed into the anti-criminal. This book uncovers the world's most common scams and describes ways to prevent them. The key word here is prevention.Among the frauds that Abagnale describes are: credit card fraud, check fraud, embezzlement, counterfeit fraud, ATM fraud, brand-name fraud, and for all of you reading this, Internet fraud. He also discusses Indentity theft as the most important fraudulent trend of the 21st century.
I particulary enjoyed the dry and often humorous tone of this book. It is so typical of Abagnale. If I had one complaint about the book it would be that there were not enough preventive measures discussed. I wanted more.
Did this book change the way I live my life? Absolutely. I have changed many of my practices to help prevent fraud in my daily dealings. A book that can motivate someone to do that, has to have value. When it comes down to preventing fraud, knowledge is key. I therefore recommend this book to all. May we become smarter, more aware, and minimize the impact of fraud in our lives.
Rating: 4 out of 5
comprehensive and pretty up-to-date
This is a very easy-to-read and useful compendium of information about common forms of fraud
and how to protect yourself from them. I've read numerous books of this type, and this is
the one I would recommend most highly today for being up-to-date and comprehensive. Abagnale
often gives unsourced anecdotes, but there are several that I recognize from newspaper or
other accounts I've read. My only real complaints with the book were that Abagnale says he uses
his children's birthdays for his PIN numbers (p. 149) which is bad advice given the ease
of obtaining birth certificates, his account of being the victim of credit card theft
over the Internet (pp. 151-153) doesn't seem entirely accurate unless he really did submit
his credit card number, and his statement about viruses arising from mere copying of legitimate
software (p. 176) is incorrect. He also missed an opportunity to warn about fake escrow
sites (p. 162). Apart from this, however, I think the book contains very valuable warnings
and advice. Similar Products
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