FBI Warns Athletes: Social Media Wealth Display Attracts International Thieves
The FBI is cautioning sports organizations that professional athletes who showcase expensive items on social media risk targeting by burglars who can easily track their game-related travel plans.
The agency recently distributed the best-practices advisory as part of its ongoing effort to inform private entities about emerging criminal patterns, according to a U.S. official familiar with the situation.
The advisory, termed a "liaison information report," encourages leagues to recommend that athletes minimize sharing images of valuable possessions, including money, jewelry, and electronic devices, on their public profiles, the official noted.
Notable athletes and their family members who have fallen victim to burglaries this year include Kansas City Chiefs players Travis Kelce and Patrick Mahomes; Milwaukee Bucks player Bobby Portis Jr.; Cincinnati Bengals' Joe Burrow; Dallas Mavericks' Luka Doncic; and Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott's fiancée.
The FBI indicated that the burglaries mentioned in the advisory are primarily attributed to South American organized theft networks that monitor activities, assess security systems, and select professional athletes believed to possess valuable items and cash, according to the source.
"Professional athletes are prime targets because of their wealth, and social media clearly shows if they own easily stolen items like timepieces or jewelry. Additionally, their work schedules are publicly available," explained Scott Andrew Selby, who authored "Flawless: Inside the Largest Diamond Heist in History."