Stolen cell phone gets recovered after Australian mistakenly posts selfie on Facebook

This selfie of a stranger was shared over 19,000 times on Facebook by Australian users until the rightful owner, Nicola Shelton was reunited with her stolen iPhone.

An Australian woman was reunited with her stolen cell phone after a stranger accidentally posted a selfie to her Facebook account.

Nicole Shelton thought she'd never see her iPhone again after it was stolen while she was on vacation in Byron Bay, Australia, last month, 9News reported.

The 33-year-old's bag, which contained her credit cards and wallet, were also taken in the theft.

But last Wednesday her boyfriend spotted a selfie from a stranger posted to her Facebook wall.

The grinning man stood close to the exact spot in Byron Bay where Shelton's possessions had gone missing.

Thinking he was the thief, she posted a volley of abuse to her account alongside his image.

"So this is the low life that stole my bag/iPhone and has decided to take a photo with my phone and post it on my Facebook!! Scum! Bag stolen in Byron bay on February 14, please share to everyone!!!" she wrote.

The post soon went viral, and was shared a staggering 20,000 times, the International Business Times reported.

The man posing in the picture then saw the post and contacted Shelton to reveal that he had bought the iPhone not knowing that it had been stolen.

It emerged he'd mistakenly posted the image to Facebook, as it was still logged in on Shelton's account. Shelton then toned the caption down to read: "This is the person who has my iPhone."

The man, who has not been named, later turned the phone over to local cops – and it has since been sent back to its rightful owner.

"I'm just amazed by the help from people I don't even know," Shelton told 9News about the astonishing set of events.

"I'm happy to get my phone back," she added.

Source: NY Daily