A post containing selfies taken by a group of iPhone thieves has gone viral on Facebook, being shared more than 100,000 times since being posted by the handset’s rightful owner yesterday.
Kelly Jones of Bentleyville, Pennsylvania, had her two iPhones, camera, wallet and other valuables stolen while she was visiting Cedar Point amusement park in Ohio on August 14. Jones made the mistake of accidentally leaving the bag on a bench — only to find it had been taken when she returned to pick it up.
She filed a report with the local Cedar Point Police Department. The cops recovered the bag, but it had been emptied. It was only when Jones returned home and was looking through her photos on iCloud that she saw pictures of the people who had presumably stolen her device.
In the photos, the still-unidentified young thieves raise their middle fingers at the camera, sport weird “duck face” pouts and pose like, well, people who probably shouldn’t be laying their hands on high-end devices like the iPhone to begin with.
Jones then decided to take matters into her own hands by posting the selfies to her Facebook page. The sharing frenzy that followed means it likely won’t be long before the thieves are found.
“I think that they deserve to be prosecuted,” Jones said. “I know probably not a lot would happen, but I think they need to be taught a lesson that you should not do this.”
This isn’t the first time idiotic thieves have made the mistake of bragging about their crimes in photos which ultimately get shared with the world.
Earlier this year, two rocket scientists iPad thieves were arrested after uploading a celebratory selfie video in which they showed off $5,000 in cash, an iPad, laptop and other items which they had stolen from an unlocked car.
Source: Fox6Now
Luke Dormehl is a U.K.-based journalist and author, with a background working in documentary film for Channel 4 and the BBC. He is the author of The Apple Revolution and The Formula: How Algorithms Solve All Our Problems … and Create More, both published by Penguin/Random House. His tech writing has also appeared in Wired, Fast Company, Techmeme and other publications.
31 responses to “Stolen iPhone selfies go viral as thieves are hunted online”
“people who probably shouldn’t be laying their hands on high-end devices like the iPhone to begin with”
Haha. Fairly sure being a bit of a dill doesn’t disqualify one from The Cult
I’d argue that there’s a whole Android universe out there for you. Leave Apple to the people who can pose in pictures without looking like gangsta ducks.
With that pompous attitude you’re making a good case that those idiot thieves were actually doing the world a service by fleecing pompous i-thing fanboys.
It was a joke.
Don’t give up on that day job – presumably at Mickey Dees…
The duck lips are icing on the cake.
Agreed. Just like speeding in a construction zone, penalties for anyone with duck lips should include no possibility of parole…
Can’t they get the GPS data from where the images were taken?
This has SO much wrong info! Go read their Facebook post about this. They forgot it on the bench and left it there. Unless the credit cards were used, no one actually stole anything. They took a backpack that was left there. If I put my phone somewhere and leave it, that’s me losing it, not it being stolen. She deserves to lose these objects if she can’t keep track of them. Stop changing the story to make the idiot look less stupid.
“Finders keepers” is not actually the law… Under common law, a person doesn’t relinquish title to his or her personal property just because it’s lost or mislaid. Generally, the one who finds it is required to hand it over to the rightful owner, if that person makes himself or herself known within a reasonable timeframe.
Never mind the idea of being a decent-hearted person, and just returning someone’s “lost” property, especially when it’s valuable ! Wouldn’t you hope someone would return your wallet if you left it on a diner table somewhere ? Or does the finder have every right to keep it, with a clear conscience? Sheesh. What’s happened to people these days?
Depending on the state, it is theft. NJ has a statute that covers theft of lost, mislaid or delivered property that would cover this and I’m sure other states do too. Finders Keepers really doesn’t wash these days.
Are you serious? Unbelievable no wonder this country is in the mess that it’s in with people like you taking up oxygen. How could you ever think that because someone forgot their property it’s automatically up for grabs. Your parents raised you well….NOT.
Its part of the Obama generation “Whats yours is mine and if I want whats your’s, you should be forced to give it to me” way of thinking.
It really shouldn’t some as a surprise that these people are also too stupid to know better.
Ha- just thought of something- maybe you’re the thief LOL
Wow. So if I forget and leave something laying and walk out of site, it’s up for you to claim it…??? BS!!
If you take something that you know damn good and well does not belong to you with intent to keep it, you are stealing. No two ways about it.
A decent person would (1) leave it alone (2) try to find out who it belongs to or (3) turn it in to authorities.
You claim that if you forgot your belongings and someone made off with them you would be ok with that but, I have my doubts about that.
LOL. God forbid you forget anything in public then. Decent people would, you know, bring it to lost and found – or call a contact on the phone and see if they can locate them. Are you the thief?
It is misappropriation of lost property. You’re the idiot.
Good GRIEF! If I find something, especially something with expensive equipment inside, AND a wallet (which I know she said credit cards were in, so probably her ID also although I dont remember if THAT was mentioned as lost or not) then MOST definitely they are STEALING. Even if it did not have an ID in it, the thing a NORMAL person does it bring it to lost and found….. how ridiculous of a comment you just made.
Let me know where you park your car . I could use a new one. It’s not stealing if you just leave it there, right? ;)
Oh shit, I think we found the thief! Are you the slut with the piercing or the girly boy with the stupid hat?
Mom’s latest FB post sure sounds like she’s trying to justify her daughter’s actions.
Exactly what i was thinking, or she doesnt know and it just runs in the family.
I saw that too! But finding cash on the ground and finding a bag that has ID in it and the posting pics like that just show that those kids where not raised with the right values.
Why does meth come to mind looking at those pages???
Wonder what their grandparents would say … shame, embarrassment, shame shame, they should have been raised better than this … hope they get theirs … they think it is funny until it happens to THEM!
Absolutely zero compassion for someone who leaves their bag and is surprised to find their valuables are missing… violated? How about careless. Bonus no-care for someone who doesn’t know how to use find my iPhone and 2 factor authentication correctly – would have had this iPhone back in no time.
But now we know what Android owners do when they find a more valuable phone… meth head duck face photos, of course.
If these were my kids, I’d be ashamed as hell. Parenting. you’re doing it wrong. Is the one in the Brooklyn hat supposed to be a boy, or a girl ??? I can’t tell. He/She looks “special”.
SICK TROLL 10/10
I was going to help her out and share the post myself, Until I saw the phrase “white trash”. Screw her.
Ashley husk and her girlfriend I know for a fact who they are