It is a brain hack. Stealing is easy if you don't know who you're stealing from. This is why shoplifting is a common crime and stealing from corporations/banks isn't looked down in the same way as stealing from an old lady is. This trick breaks down that barrier and imbues personality onto the potentially stolen item.

It wont work agaisnt a hardened thief but it will on someone who just found the camera and is thinking of just keeping it.