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Book Review, © Copyright 2001, Jim Loy
I think this is one of the best books ever written. Frank Abagnale is one of the all-time record con artists (Catch Me If You Can - by Frank W. Abagnale Jr.). After a few prison terms (and a couple escapes), he has gone straight, and does well as a security document consultant for businesses, and as a lecturer on fraud. He is the person you should really listen to about fraud. This book is frightening, it tells you how to commit fraud in hundreds of ways. This may seem like a how-to book for criminals, but you will not be relatively safe from fraud unless you understand just how easy it is to cheat YOU. Besides, the crooks already know most of this stuff. This book tells how you will be cheated, then tells how to prevent it. You will find yourself reading with your mouth open in shock. You will be examining your checks, your bank statements, and your money. This book will change your life, and is likely to save you many thousands of dollars. Let me quote a paragraph:
In the following chapters, I plan to take you into the world of the confidence man. I'm going to tell you about some of the most ingenious scams that I've encountered during my twenty-five years as a fraud specialist. I'll tell you how to spot a bogus check and how to recognize a counterfeit bill. I'll tell you about how a man made a considerable amount of money off supposedly broken windows, and why criminals iron credit cards. I'll tell you about the mustard squirter and the rock in the box, about the Vickers Gang and their long-running refund scam, about how to earn $100,000 from a demolished car, and why a thief brings glue with him to the ATM. This is all for the purpose of teaching you how to avoid becoming a victim of fraud. For I strongly believe that punishment for fraud and recovery of stolen funds is so rare today that prevention is the only viable course of action.
See Some Fraud Information Links
Of all the books that I recommend, these are the three that I recommend most:
Also, see The Art of Deception - by Kevin D. Mitnick.
To order this book, click Amazon.com (goes directly to this book).