According to the FBI, organized theft groups burglarized at least nine professional athletes’ homes between September and November 2024.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is warning sports leagues about organized theft groups that target professional athletes.
According to an FBI Liaison Information Report obtained by ABC News, professional athletes’ homes are being targeted for burglary “due to the perception that they may have high-end goods like designer handbags, jewelry, watches, and cash.”
According to the news organization, the report alleges that organized theft groups from South America burglarized the homes of at least nine professional athletes between September and November 2024.
The groups carried out the home invasions by conducting physical and technical surveillance using publicly available information and social media activity.
“These preparation tactics allow theft groups to carry out burglaries in a short period of time. According to ABC News, organized theft groups bypass alarm systems, use Wi-Fi jammers to disable devices, cover security cameras, and conceal their identities.
In response to these threats, the FBI advises professional athletes to remain vigilant for suspicious behavior and implement preventive measures, according to ABC News.
This includes keeping track of valuable items and using social media with caution, such as avoiding real-time posts while on vacation or sharing images that reveal private spaces in their homes.
PEOPLE contacted the FBI for comment, but they did not immediately respond.
Dallas Mavericks star Luka Dončić recently had $30,000 worth of jewelry stolen from his home, according to an internal police report cited by The Dallas Morning News.
According to the outlet, an unknown person broke into the master bathroom window around the time of a Mavericks game, but no one was home.
Earlier this month, Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow’s home was also broken into while he was away for a game.
Olivia Ponton, an influencer and model described in a police report obtained by PEOPLE as a Burrow employee, said she arrived at the property and found a “shattered bedroom window and the room ransacked.” According to the report, she later gave police a list of items that were “possibly missing.”
“I feel like my privacy has been violated in more ways than one, and there’s already more out there than I’d like or care to share, so that’s all I have to say about it,” Burrow later told reporters.
The home invasion occurs months after Kansas City Chiefs players Travis Kelce and Patrick Mahomes’ homes were burglarized within two days of each other in October.
