Has Paris Hilton's and Lindsay Lohan's love of the media spotlight come back to bite them on their size 0 rear ends?

Maybe.

Hilton, Lohan and a group of Hollywood starlets and studs - including OC actress Rachel Bilson, Pirates of the Caribbean's Orlando Bloom and reality TV babe Audrina Patridge - have fallen victim to a gang of young, mostly female burglars nicknamed "The Bling Ring".

This gang of thieves has fleeced more than $US3 million ($A3.3 million) in jewels, cash, paintings and designer clothes during brazen burglaries of celeb homes over the past year.

They didn't rely on old cat burglar methods to bust into the celebrity Hollywood Hills mansions, but did what teenagers and twentysomethings do each day.

The Bling Ring logged onto celebrity websites including TMZ.com, which provide 24-hour coverage of Hollywood celebs, to find out if stars were at home.

If the paparazzi caught Bloom in New York and photos of him were posted on a celebrity site like TMZ, well, it was likely his home in LA was vacant.

Where does Hilton live?

A few taps of the keyboard to sites like celebrityaddressaerial.com not only pulls up the address but also an aerial photo of the home and possible entry points.

Police believe The Bling Ring is made up of a group of friends who attended an LA high school together. There are at least six members aged between 18 and 20.

The ring was smashed in September when police, acting on a tip, arrested 18-year-old Nicholas Prugo. Prugo has since turned police informant, revealing the names of other alleged members, including 19-year-old Rachel Lee.

Prugo allegedly told police celebs made it easy for them because often they failed to lock their homes, allowing The Bling Ring to simply stroll in.

"Prugo stated that it was Lee who would suggest a target and that he would surf the internet to learn where the celebrity lived as well as the target's travel itinerary," according to a police search warrant.

Hilton's home was particularly enticing, with the ring breaking in three times and taking cash and jewellery.

Bilson was also a multiple victim, with the brunette's expansive wardrobe pillaged. According to the police affidavit, The Bling Ring grabbed $US300,000 ($A330,000) worth of Chanel clothing from Bilson's home.

The burglaries serve as a warning to the famous and not-so-famous about allowing too much information to be released on the internet.

"People are using Twitter, Facebook, MySpace and other sites to reveal personal details about themselves," LAPD officer Gregory Daek told AAP.

"You need to be careful.

"Thieves are increasingly turning to the internet to help commit crimes."