Say cheese! iPhone app catches thief

NEW YORK - Police in Queens said they've arrested a robbery suspect whose picture was snapped by the iPhone's iGotYa app.

CBS Station WCBS reports Brian Chattoo, 23, was captured Friday at his home in Richmond Hill.

Police said he snatched a woman's iPhone from her pocket on Monday on Liberty Avenue.

When he tried to unlock the phone, the iGotYa app took his picture - and emailed it to the victim.

Chattoo is charged with grand larceny and criminal possession of stolen property.

Before the theft earlier this week the phone's owner, a 31-year-old woman, downloaded a mobile phone application that will snap a picture of whomever tries to unlock the phone using an incorrect password, and then e-mail that photo and the phone's location to her.

Police say the app, iGotYa (available online but not for sale via iTunes) worked.

When the victim received the photo of a young man with short hair and an earring unknowingly staring into the camera, she passed it along to law enforcement officials.

A police spokesman told The New York Times that plain clothes officers recognized the young man in the picture, identified as Brian Chattoo.

[cowhide--2008]

REM Hit song " Its been a bad day. Please don't take my picture."

[kwestin]

A similar application is available in the App Store under "GadgetTrak" which is also available for Android, Blackberry, Windows and Mac. A similar recovery story where Sprint recovered several phones that were stolen from their stores in Oregon:

http://www.gadgettrak.com/blog/2011/08/09/gadgettrak-leads-police-to-phone-thieves-targeting-wireless-store/

[runmjd]

It's BRYAN Chattoo. Here's his Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=533563308

[sgtnitnoy1]

The only people to dislike this application are the dishonest criminal ones. Steve Jobs must be smiling.

[Leaderless]

Crime doesn't pay scumbag!

[TrickyWV]

Please put this scum bucket thief in prison for a long long time.

[jcnbma]

PRICELESS!

[notyrants]

There are only two "iGotYa" apps on iTunes......this one must be for jail broken phones if it's not available on the iTunes store.

[ralphing]

Steve Jobs doesn't allow such things unless he gets a 30% cut in any recovery.

[gbgentleman]

Lesson learned, if you going to steal a phone, only try to unlock it where there is no coverage. Of course if it's AT&T providing the service, that's most locations.

[notyrants]

If you want to be witness to a monopoly theft, be near an iPhone anywhere where there is AT&T reception.

[underdogcity]

LOL

Just for the record, I'm not into Obama bashing, but I must say that this guy strangely resembles our president...

[notyrants]

Actually I thought the same thing and it's no mistake that the non-democratic corporate government media pulls these stunts during certain times. Take note, the weak coverage of Occupy Wallstreet versus that KOCK monarchy funded tea party garbage. They call it a liberal media...it's not liberal, it's not conservative....it's self serving non-democratic special interests.

[smittyc]

I wasn't going to comment but had the same thought and laughed. Maybe another illegal like his uncle. It is amazing how both his uncle and his aunt are both in the country illegally and everyone pretends their is nothing wrong with this guy.