‘Crime Tourists’ Target the Rich in at Least Half of U.S. States: Thefts ‘Way, Way Up’

South American “crime tourists” who exploit the US visa system to enter the country and commit burglaries have now infiltrated at least half the states in America and taken “millions of untraceable” goods, The Post has learned.

The organized groups of burglars and jewel thieves, particularly from Chile, Ecuador, Colombia and Peru, have been targeting wealthy homes across the US for decades, but their crimes have spread — and recently soared in some cities, authorities say.

“They travel to cities across the nation – including in Maricopa County – and steal millions in untraceable items,” said Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell, whose office oversees such Arizona cities as Phoenix and Scottsdale, which have been collectively hit by by more than 100 burglaries believed to have been carried out by the groups since November.

“This is a group that is taking advantage of the relationship that certain countries in South America have with the United States so that they don’t have to have a lot of scrutiny coming in,” Mitchell told The Post.

The crooks hone in on the US government’s tourist visa program, which is friendly to their countries and allows them to fly into the US without a background check, authorities say. (Read more from “‘Crime Tourists’ Target the Rich in at Least Half of U.S. States: Thefts ‘Way, Way Up’” HERE)