The Drum Awards for Marketing - Extended Deadline

-d -h -min -sec

iPhone thief unwittingly emails their mug shot to owner

Author

By John Glenday, Reporter

December 11, 2012 | 2 min read

You might have heard of thieves being caught red-handed but one amateur iPhone thief has been caught red-faced after unwittingly emailing their mug shot to its rightful owner.

The blundering woman snapped a full portrait shot of herself whilst attempting to unlock an iPhone 4 which had been stolen earlier in the month from a Brighton nightclub – after its owner installed the surreptitious security feature.

The iGotYa app automatically snaps a photo of anyone attempting to unlock the device and emails the results to the registered owner, and even maps its location using GPS, whenever an incorrect password is entered..

Sussex Police, who are investigating the theft, say they do not know if the woman depicted was the original thief but have asked her, or anyone who knows her, to come forward.

PC Gavin Crute, of Sussex Police, said: “The owner of the camera has a rather cool app that takes a picture of anyone who tries to unlock it, maps their current location and then sends all the info back to the owner in an email.

“We know where and when the photo was taken and it appears to be in a vehicle with quite a large sunroof.

“We don't know that the woman is the person who stole the camera, but she obviously has had some connection with it in the meantime and I'd like to speak to her about it.”

London is currently in the grip of a smartphone crime wave with an estimated 170 iPhones snatched every day.

Trending

Industry insights

View all
Add your own content +