Obviously, Abagnale had to move from city to city as banks discovered his tricks. When he was just 16, he created his identity as an airline pilot. As a pilot, he didn’t have to pay for travel. He could also stay at hotel where other pilots stayed without paying. He never actually flew a plane, but he got on over 250 flights and stayed at hotel all over the world at the airline’s expense. He created false paychecks and cashed them.