A Farmington woman was shocked to see photos of strangers show up in her Dropbox account and hopes police can use them to track down the people who got a hold of her missing phone.
Angela Valencis said she accidentally left her Samsung Galaxy S4 at a restaurant in West Hartford's Blue Back Square on Saturday.
It wasn't until the next day, when the mother of three bought a new phone and checked Dropbox that she noticed "selfies" of strangers showing up in her account, which automatically syncs new photos taken on her devices.
"This is very likely the person that has it is taking selfies of themselves, so that was when I realized, 'I think I found my guy,'" Valencis explained. "I started texting the phone and asking for it to be returned, saying, 'No questions asked. I'll pick it up. I'll meet you somewhere. Cash reward,'" she said.
Valencis said her pleas were ignored and that it's not really the phone she wants back – the phone contains photos and videos of her kids that were taken before she set up her Dropbox account in 2011 and were therefore never synced.
"I can't just make new memories of my baby 1-year-old's first Christmas. I can't turn back the clock and make those again. They're lost, so that's what I care about. That's what I'm missing. That's what I'm devastated about," said Valencis. "You can't bring those times back, so I'm kind of kicking myself for not saving everything. But I mean, it's my own fault I didn't do that, but I was banking on the good side of humanity."
Valencis is now hoping someone recognizes the strangers in the photos on her Dropbox account and comes forward to identify them, or that whoever has her phone returns it.
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"If these pictures are still on there or on the memory card I will gladly take it back again. No questions asked," said Valencis.
West Hartford police are urging residents to report stolen phones right away.
Authorities recommend turning on the phone's GPS or using apps like Find My iPhone. They say it's a good idea to keep a passcode lock on it, and place a sticker on the back of the phone offering a reward if it's found with an alternate contact number to call.
Police say most stolen phones are left in cars or taken from work or school, so keep your phone in your pocket rather than a car, coat or purse.
