The famous former teenage conman whose exploits were immortalised in the Hollywood blockbuster Catch Me If You Can has issued a stark warning about the dangers of Facebook.
Frank Abagnale, portrayed by Leonardo DiCaprio in the Steven Spielberg film, said that the personal information revealed by millions on the social network is a rich seam for identity thieves.
Children in particular need to be made aware of the serious risks of unwittingly revealing personal information online, he added.
Once dubbed the world’s greatest conman, Mr Abagnale spent half his teenage years on the run as a confidence trickster, imposter, cheque forger and escape artist in the Sixties.
The 64-year-old is now a security consultant for US law enforcement agencies – including the FBI – having switched sides when he was eventually caught.
He said Facebook gives away too much personal information about you and this can allow con artists and impersonators to use your history of ‘likes’ to discern your personal info, lifestyle choices and personality traits.
He also warned against using ‘passport style’ photos as profile picture and said being pictured in group photos was safer.