The Federal Bureau of Investigation is warning sports leagues about organized theft rings targeting professional athletes.
In an Intelligence Report obtained by ABC News, the FBI said the homes of professional athletes are targeted for burglaries “because of the perception that they may have high-end merchandise such as designer handbags, jewelry, watches and cash.”
According to the news organization, the report — which alleges that organized burglary groups from South America broke into the homes of at least nine professional athletes between September and November 2024 — states that the groups completed the home invasion by conducting physical and technical surveillance using publicly available information and activities on social networks.
Travis Kelce and Patrick Mahomes’ Kansas City homes burglarized within 48 hours of each other
Photo of J. Edgar Hoover’s Federal Bureau of Investigation building in Washington DC
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“These preparation tactics allow theft groups to carry out burglaries in a short amount of time. Organized theft groups bypass alarm systems, use Wi-Fi jammers to block Wi-Fi connections and disable devices, cover security cameras and conceal their identities,” the state report says, ABC News.
In response to these threats, the FBI is urging professional athletes to remain alert for suspicious behavior and adopt preventative strategies, ABC News reported. This includes keeping records of valuables and being careful on social media, such as avoiding real-time posts while on vacation or sharing pictures that reveal private spaces in their homes.
PEOPLE reached out to the FBI for comment, but they did not immediately respond.
One of the latest athletes to be targeted is Dallas Mavericks star Luka Dončić, whose jewelry worth $30,000 was stolen from his home late on Friday, December 27. Dallas morning news citing an internal police report.
The outlet said an unknown person broke the master bathroom window around the time of the Mavericks game, but no one was home during the break-in.
Joe Burrow’s Ohio home was broken into while he was playing in Texas on Monday night
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Joe Burrow photographed on Saturday, December 28, 2024.
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Earlier this month, Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow’s home was broken into while he was away at a game.
Influencer and model Olivia Ponton, described in a police report obtained by PEOPLE as a Burrow employee, said she arrived at the property to find a “broken bedroom window and a search room.” She later gave police a list of what was “possibly missing,” according to the report.
“I feel like my privacy has been violated in a number of ways and there’s a lot more out there than I’d like and I want to share so that’s all I have to say about it,” Burrow later told reporters about the incident.
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The home invasion comes months after the homes of Kansas City Chiefs players Travis Kelce and Patrick Mahomes were broken into two days apart in October.
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Source: HIS Education