When Katy McCaffrey discovered that her smartphone had been stolen at the end of a Caribbean cruise, she thought there was little she could do about it.

But then a few weeks later her phone began automatically posting photographs taken by its new 'owner'.

The suspected thief, a crew member of the Disney cruise ship, the Wonder, has been placed on "administrative leave" by management while the theft is investigated. It is not clear exactly what happened to the phone.

McCaffrey noticed that pictures were being uploaded on Apple iCloud site one month after her cruise ended and her iPhone was stolen. They seemed to show the suspected thief and his colleagues relaxing on the ship. She placed them on Facebook and alerted Disney Cruises who identified the suspect.

Rebecca Peddie, manager of public affairs for Disney Cruise Line, told USA Today the line became aware of the Facebook photos and the alleged theft on Thursday, and says the iPhone had been recovered. It is currently on the Wonder, and the line intends to return it to the owner when the ship's current cruise ends.

McCaffrey posted on Facebook: "I have alerted the officials of the Disney Cruise Line and forwarded them the photos. Hopefully I'll get my phone back and maybe some free passes to Disneyland."