12 Insane Real-Life Prison Breaks You Won't Believe

2. Frank Abagnale - "I'm An Undercover Prison Inspector"

You may recognise the name Frank Abagnale from the Tom Hanks, Leonardo DiCaprio film, Catch Me If You Can, but here's the story behind one of the most bizarre jail breaks of all time, with the con man, conning his way into and out of trouble. Abagnale was jailed on multiple accounts of fraud in several countries, but the U.S. Marshal forgot his detention commitment papers. Abagnale was well-spoken, well-educated and clearly a cut above the other inmates, and so used the missing documents stroke of luck to subtly suggest to the prison guards that he was actually an undercover prison inspector, without confirming it. He received extra privileges, nicer food, cleaner cell but he wasn't sticking around. One of Abagnale's friends was visited by an FBI agent who left his card, then she posed as a freelance journalist to pick up a prison inspectors' card, and after doctoring both with fake names and numbers, she passed them off to Abagnale while visiting. He could then produce the cards to the guards, who bragged and laughed about how they thought he was an inspector all along, and merrily called the 'FBI number' which actually led to his friend's phone. She vouched for him, and Abagnale was allowed to literally walk out of the front door with the guards waving behind him.