Attendees at the 2017 American Truck Dealers (ATD) Convention & Expo learned cyber-security from one of the best on Saturday when Frank Abagnale, longtime FBI employee and focus of the 2002 movie ‘Catch Me if you Can,’ spoke at the convention’s Industry Luncheon in New Orleans.
Abagnale was one of the nation’s most prolific identify thieves and forgers during his youth before going to work for the FBI. Abagnale has now been with the organization for more than 40 years, and focuses on fraud protection and identity theft.
On Saturday at ATD, Abagnale spoke to dealers about the methods thieves use to steal personal information while also offering guidance on how to stay safe.
Abagnale says fraud accounted for $994 billion in lost revenue last year, nearly 7 percent of total revenue. He says most of this fraud is performed online by international hackers in Russia and Eastern Bloc nations, who sometimes use it to fund other, even more heinous crimes.
In today’s digital world, Abagnale says one of the most common hacking techniques are false emails and online advertisements. These ‘phishing’ messages are designed to look legitimate and are used to farm personal data from a clicking party.
Mobile apps can be equally dangerous, Abagnale says. He cites games and other entertainment apps as the programs most commonly linked to dangerous phishing malware.
Social media isn’t much safer. Abagnale says software programs exist that can match a photograph to a person’s social media account in 7.5 seconds. In cases where those social media accounts also include a date and location of birth, that’s “98 percent” of what identity thieves need to steal an identity, Abagnale says.
