He was an airline pilot, a millionaire, a doctor and a lawyer, all before his 21st birthday. 

He traveled across the world for free and passed the bar examination without going to law school. Frank Abagnale seemed to have the world at his fingertips, but it wouldn’t last – he was a fraud.

Abagnale, world-renown con man-turned FBI agent and subject of the Hollywood movie “Catch Me If You Can,” wrapped up the 44th annual Foothill College Celebrity Forum at the Flint Center on May 4. He spoke of his exploits as a con man and also shared advice on how to protect consumers from getting conned.

In the 1960s, Abagnale led a life of expert deception after his parents divorced. He posed as a Pan Am co-pilot by acquiring a badge and uniform he used to hitch rides across the world. He also held a position as a doctor overseeing a group of interns. To generate funds, he forged $2.5 million in company checks and cashed them as he traveled.

Abagnale began working for the FBI investigating cases of fraud after serving for his crimes in France and the U.S.

He then told the audience he shreds everything because worthless to one could actually be of great value to someone else.

He also suggested using a micro-cut shredder because at an FBI lab in Quantico, Va., agents could reassemble documents run through a straight-shredder in under an hour. Documents run through a criss-cross shredder could be reassembled in 72 hours. However, documents run through a micro-cut shredder cannot be reassembled.

He also warned against the use of debit cards, as they expose consumers’ own money to risk.

“I use a credit card,” said Abagnale. “Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Discover. Every day of my life I spend their money.”

Consumers can also dispute fraudulent charges on a credit card without having any of their own money exposed, Abagnale said.

“When you use your debit card, you do nothing for your credit score,” he said. “When you use your credit card, every month that you pay the bill, you build your credit.”