Are international thieves taking advantage of tourist visas to target the homes of pro-athletes?

North America’s top professional sports leagues He gave warnings to his players It’s about the growing threat of high-tech, organized theft rings where passports, cutting-edge technology and the 90-day calendar are preferred.

Citing FBI intelligence, the NBA memo linked the crimes to “transnational South American Theft Groups” that specifically targeted “professional athletes and other high-net-worth individuals.” These groups are known for using “advanced techniques” such as pre-surveillance, drones, jamming devices and other advanced technologies. The NFL has highlighted the risks posed by what it calls “organized and skilled groups of thieves” targeting wealthy athletes.

Although the warnings did not name the victims, they were issued after the homes of Kansas City Chiefs stars Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce and the athletes were locked down. Milwaukee Bucks forward Bobby Portis They were recently robbed. The tactics described in the notes bear a striking resemblance to the wave of break-ins against the target audience wealthy residents Southern California.

Federal and local officials in Los Angeles and Orange County have reported a spike in trespassing by what they call “theft tourists,” criminals from Central and South America who enter the U.S. legally on 90-day tourist visas under the Electronic System for Travel. they reported. Authorization (ESTA). But instead of carrying swimsuits and sunscreen, the men were armed with disguises, video equipment, trail cameras and Wi-Fi jammers, police said. They target affluent neighborhoods and gated communities before moving to avoid detection.

These “burglary tourists” have been at work for at least five years, but their operations have intensified recently as information about addresses and even pictures of properties has become increasingly available.

“International gangs may not know everything about the house they are breaking into,” LAPD Chief of Detectives Alan Hamilton told NBC News on Friday. “But there is always the possibility that these suspects know who they are and are monitoring the athletes’ social media and movements.”

Minnesota Timberwolves guard Mike Conley was also robbed on his way to a Minnesota Star Tribune NFL game in September. reported.

In a post on Instagram on November 3, Portis said that his “valuable belongings” were stolen from his home during his team’s match the day before.

Kelce and Mahomes’ homes in Kansas City divided into hours In October. The thieves made off with $20,000 in cash and caused $1,000 in damage to Kelce’s home, according to the police report. Kansas City’s NBC affiliate KSHB.

Mahomes has it is called ordeal “frustrating” and “disappointing”.

This trend has spread to other cities such as Chicago, Houston and Dallas.

“Law enforcement has long recognized this pattern of crime in the Midwest,” Hamilton said. “It’s not something they’re immune to.”

Law enforcement agencies, including the FBI, have been tracking these criminal networks from coast to coast for years, and suspects with ties to South American gangs have emerged in nearly every state, Hamilton said.

“This is pure military-grade technology,” Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer told NBC News over the summer. “The criminal records of the people we arrested in Orange County come from the country of Chile.”

If Southern California law enforcement makes progress in reducing these crimes, they may redirect more of these operations to other parts of the country.

The NBA and NFL have urged players to take preventative measures such as activating alarm systems and security cameras, keeping valuables in safes and avoiding oversharing on social media.

“The FBI reported that in the majority of incidents, homes were equipped with alarm systems that were not activated,” the NBA memo obtained by NBC News on Friday said. “The FBI also reported that the homes were completely empty and, in most cases, no dogs were present.”