FBI in sports leagues: All-star games can attract cross-border thieves.

FBI in sports leagues: All-star games can attract cross-border thieves.

The FBI is warning sports leagues that star athletes who share important things on social media are vulnerable to hackers who are familiar with their public travel schedules.

The office recently issued an invitation to best practices as part of a long-term process of consulting with private businesses about criminal practices, a US official said on the matter.

The memo, a “contact information report,” urges players to advise athletes to limit images of valuables, such as money, jewelry and electronics, on their social media accounts, the official said.

Star athletes and their loved ones who have become victims of theft this year include Chiefs Travis Kelce and quarterback Patrick Mahomes, Milwaukee Bucks player Bobby Portis Jr., Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow, Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Dončić and his girlfriend. Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott.

The FBI said the thefts described in the memo may have been carried out by South American organized crime groups that monitor, monitor security measures and target athletes who are believed to have high-value assets and money. , the source said.

Scott Andrew Selby, author of “Flawless: Inside the Largest Diamond Heist in History,” said: “Pro athletes are targeted because they have money, and you can easily tell on social media if they have things. that you can easily steal, like. watches or jewelry. And everyone knows when they’re not at work.”

One of the latest victims is Dončić, whose house was hit on Friday night while he was in Phoenix for his team’s 98-89 win over the Suns, his manager said. follow NBC Dallas-Fort Worth.

Burrow’s home was shot up while he and his teammates were in Arlington, Texas, for a game against the Cowboys.

The explosion at the home of Kelce Leawood, Kansas – where thieves took $20,000, according to police reports reviewed by NBC affiliate KSHB of Kansas City, Missouri – was reported on Oct. 8, the day after the Kings beat the New Orleans Saints. “Monday Night Football” game.

The FBI’s memo includes advice to athletes consistent with the league’s current guidelines for athletes, including keeping flashy pictures of expensive equipment on social media, the source said.

An FBI spokesman would not confirm the existence of the memo, which was first reported by ABC News, saying in an email: “While we cannot confirm or deny the existence of a particular investigation, the FBI assesses potential threats and shares information with our law enforcement and private sector partners to help protect public safety.

“As always,” the spokesperson added, “we ask the public to report anything they think is suspicious to law enforcement.”

Authorities allege South American workers have been involved in extortion campaigns that have targeted wealthy properties from Southern California to Dallas to the Midwest in recent years.

On Monday, Chilean police said they found a watch belonging to actor Keanu Reeves that was part of the valuables seized in connection with a man arrested on suspicion of robbery and violence in Santiago.

Police say the watch was part of a case in Los Angeles late last year where some of Reeves’ belongings were stolen. Los Angeles police said Monday that their investigation into the robbery is ongoing.

Authorities have not said the Reeves case is linked to the burglaries of star athletes, but there are striking similarities to a string of burglaries that have targeted the rich and sometimes famous in Southern California over the years. more than ten.

The Los Angeles Police Department, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, the Orange County District Attorney’s Office, the San Diego County District Attorney’s Office and the FBI have been investigating and assisting in the prosecution of the alleged thieves. that he is part of the gangs from South America for many years.

Over the summer, three defendants from Chile and Italy were sentenced to four years in one case and six in another for conspiracy to commit robbery in January, when they broke into a home in Carlsbad. which is a city on the north coast of San Diego. District.

Prosecutors say the defendants used a popular visa to enter the country as tourists or businessmen.

The case was “part of a crime pattern sweeping our nation in which organized criminals, often with criminal records in their home country, are granted visas to the United States that they use to engage in illegal tourism,” San Diego County District Attorney. Summer Stephan said in a July statement.

To the north, Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer has long criticized the eligibility of Chileans for visas that allow them to come to the United States with minimal background checks. He said that criminals from Chile and other South American countries travel here through the Visa Waiver Program, which is given to 42 nations for similar travel measures for Americans.

Waiver can be granted through the automated Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA). Those who receive permission can stay in the United States for 90 days.

“For the past 18 months, I have lamented the dangerous loophole in the ESTA Visa Waiver program that has been used by organized crime rings from Chile to enter the United States indefinitely for years. two without checking back,” said Spitzer.

Spitzer said that thousands of Chileans went on vacation without much scrutiny, creating a “loophole” for thieves to easily access the homes of American athletes and others.

“These criminals don’t come to the United States to visit Disneyland and other tourist attractions — they come here to steal, to terrorize Americans in their homes,” Spitzer said in an email Monday.

Spitzer would like to see Chileans removed from having the right to leave.

The State Department, which administers the visas, did not immediately respond to a request for comment Monday night.

LAPD Police Chief Alan Hamilton described at least some of the robbery suspects accused of targeting high-dollar residences as members of international gangs that favor the type of community where star athletes and actors are found.

He said that this theft has spread far and wide. The search that began in Southern California, Hamilton said, “has resulted in the suspects being wanted in almost every state across the country.”

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