A South Los Angeles woman sold her condo and lost tens of thousands of dollars after scammers used artificial intelligence (AI) to impersonate a popular soap opera star.
Abigail, a longtime fan of General Hospital, began receiving what she believed were personal messages from actor Steve Burton, reports ABC 7.
The contact started with deepfake videos sent over Facebook Messenger and later shifted to WhatsApp, where the scammer professed love and promised a life together.
Convinced the actor needed financial help, Abigail sent at least $81,304 in gift cards, cash, and Bitcoin, according to a Los Angeles Police Department incident report. The scam went deeper when she sold her Harbor City condo for $350,000, believing it would fund their shared future.
The AI scam has parted Abigail with her life savings, and she’s now facing bankruptcy, says her daughter Vivian Ruvalcaba.
“I’m sickened by it because it went this far… Why didn’t I know this? Why didn’t I see what was happening? What did I miss…?
Had I not intervened when I did, she was scheduled to send the scammer $70,000 out of that money that was sitting there.”
Actor Steve Burton says he has seen this type of scam spread across his fan base.
“That I know of who have lost money, it’s in the hundreds. It’s in the hundreds… First of all, I don’t need your money. I would never ask for money.”
After seeing a video that tricked Abigail, Burton says,
“Sounds like my voice for sure, 100%.”
Vivian, who holds power of attorney, has now filed a lawsuit to try to reverse the property transfer, arguing that her mother doesn’t have the mental capacity to handle a contract involving a home sale.
But the buyers are refuting the claim and are gearing up to take the case to court.
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