How a Pair of Alleged Thieves May Have Trapped Themselves

If you know these two people, the River Rouge Police Department would like to hear from you.(Photos courtesy of River Rouge Police Department)

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Police in a metro Detroit community have a pretty good idea who purloined a smartphone from a 59-year-old man earlier this month.

A security feature the River Rouge man installed on his iPhone 5S phone snaps selfies and transmits them when someone enters an improper code to unlock the screen, The News-Herald reports.

Police said the photos depicted a man and woman who are the likely culprits.

“The suspects had no idea they were taking selfies when they were trying to figure out his password to unlock the phone,” Detective Sgt. Kenneth Lozon told the newspaper. “With this kind of new technology out, it’s enabling law enforcement to do a better job investigating.”

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Apps like iGotYa don’t just snap a selfie from a front-facing camera. The technology also pinpoints the location of the likely thief using the phone’s GPS and send a text message to the phone asking the culprit to return it to its rightful owner.

Some other popular phone tracking apps include Lookout for Androids, and a mobile version of Prey for Android and IOS systems.

If you recognize the suspects, River Rouge police ask anyone who recognizes the suspects to give them a call at (313) 842-8700.