A California woman lost her home after falling for an AI scammer that convinced her she was in a relationship with a soap opera star.
Abigail Ruvalcaba, 66, believed she had met and fallen in love with General Hospital cast member Steve Burton over Facebook in October 2024.
She began communicating with who she thought was Burton through video messages. But the clips she was sent were deepfakes created by a scammer using Burton’s voice and likeness.
‘I thought I was in love. I thought we were going to have a good life together,’ Ruvalcaba told KTLA.
‘To me, it looks real, even now. I don’t know anything about AI.’
The scammer even used a video Burton posted warning his fans that he would never ask them for money, manipulating the clip to trick Ruvalcaba.
‘Hello, Abigail. I love you so much, darling. I had to make this video to make you happy, my love,’ the AI-generated Burton said in the video, obtained by KABC.
Eventually, the scammer stated asking her for money and Ruvalcaba sent over $81,000 in cash.
Abigail Ruvalcaba, 66, believed she had met and fallen in love with General Hospital cast member Steve Burton over Facebook in October 2024
She began communicating with who she thought was Burton through video messages. But the clips she was sent were deepfakes created by a scammer using Burton’s voice and likeness
‘And then checks and Zelle and Bitcoin, it was everything,’ she said.
As the scam continued, Ruvalcaba was tricked into selling her family’s condo for $350,000.
She texted the scammer: ‘I remember you had suggested to sell this place. I said no. Now I don’t care.’
The scammer replied: ‘If selling the place is what will give us a fresh start and bring us closer to where we both want to be, then I am behind you.’
Her daughter, Vivian, told KTLA: ‘It happened so quickly, within less than three weeks. The sale of the home was done. It was over with.’
Vivian explained that her mother was an easy target because she has mental health problems and suffers from severe bipolar disorder.
‘She argued with me, saying, «No, how are you telling me this is AI if it sounds like him? That’s his face, that’s his voice, I watch him on television all the time,»‘ Vivian said.
Her daughter has since launched a GoFundMe to help their family get their home back.
The scammer used a video Burton posted warning his fans that he would never ask them for money, manipulating the clip to trick the woman
As the scam continued, Ruvalcaba was tricked into selling her family’s condo (pictured) for $350,000
She said there was only $45,000 left on the mortgage when the scammer tricked her mother into selling for far below market value to a real estate company.
‘When I discovered the scam in February 2025, I immediately contacted everyone involved, provided my Power of Attorney, and submitted three medical letters from her doctors confirming my mother lacked the capacity to make these decisions,’ Vivian wrote on the fundraising page.
The daughter said the real estate company flipped the condo and sold it to a new owner who offered to sell it back to them for $100,000 more than what they paid.
The actor told KTLA that he has heard from many fans who have been scammed and has issued warnings on his social media that he would never ask them for money.
‘That I know of who have lost money, it’s in the hundreds. It’s in the hundreds,’ Burton said.
‘First of all, I don’t need your money. I would never ask for money.
‘I see people come to my appearances and look at me like they’ve had a relationship online for a couple years, and I’m like, «No, I’m sorry. I don’t know who you are,» and you just see, It’s so sad, you see the devastation.’
