A Smartphone’s ‘Selfie’ App Leads To The Arrest Of Floridian Cell Phone Thief
A smartphone’s clever “selfie” app snapped a picture of a man who allegedly stole a Samsung 4 phone out of a car while the driver was pumping gas at a Texaco station in Florida. The app, called “Lookout,” sent a photo of the alleged thief as he tried to open the phone. FOX 13 shared the photo of the cell phone thief after the app sent the photo, coined a “theftie,” to the cell phone owner’s email. The smartphone was stolen, according to FOX 13 on May 23rd. On June 3 the internet began sharing FOX’s story. Two days later, the cell phone thief was arrested.
The Lookout app sends a GPS location. The Samsung 4 was traced to a Tampa apartment complex. Unfortunately, the app reportedly only sends the location one time. An app for IOS called “Find My iPhone” will track the phone’s location as it moves. Still, with help from the public, the cell phone thief is now in police custody.
Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office arrested 38-year-old Edgar Hernandez-Santos of Tampa, according to WFLA News. Hernandez-Santos has been charged with Burglary of an Unoccupied Vehicle and Grand Theft. The suspect was located by detectives and has admitted to taking the cell phone, which he still had in his possession. The phone was undamaged and returned to the rightful owner. Hernandez-Santos was booked into the Orient Road Jail.
Facebook user Richard McDonald said the app has helped him find his phone three times. McDonald wrote, “Bunch of cool features! 1 time I show up at a house and showed them a print out where my phone pinged their house. They ‘accidentally’ picked it up.” The technology has been around for awhile, and Inquisitr reported on a similar app two years ago. Lookout does more than just take photos of thieves thieving though. Marketing material boasts that it protects mobile devices from the most important security issues including identifying threats, preventing fraud and defending the user against cyber crimes. Lookout’s Facebook page says that the app can also alert mobile users when a SIM card is removed, when Airplane Mode is enabled, when the phone is turned off or when the device is disabled. Lookout has a free version of the app or a three dollar a month version.
According to the app’s website, one in ten smartphone users have been the victim of a cell phone thief. Inquisitr wants your feedback: If a smartphone app has ever photographed your cellphone thief, please comment below with the name of the app and whether or not the cell phone was retrieved.
