A Woman Sent $80K to a Scammer After They Used a Deepfake Version of Actor Steve Burton

One of the biggest concerns surrounding Artificial Intelligence (AI), other than job loss, is its use as a tool for scammers. According to the consumer credit reporting company Experian, fraudsters have starting using AI to take advantage of unsuspecting victims. Experian has identified seven types of AI-powered scams, and each one is more horrifying than the last.

Con artists are using AI to clone people's voices, fake phone and video calls, create websites that might build a fake store, and more.

Unfortunately, one woman in Los Angeles is learning the hard way that some things are too good to be true.

Here's what we know about Abigail Ruvalcaba, who lost $80,000 to an AI-scammer after they used a deepfake video of General Hospital actor Steve Burton to convince her they were a couple.

According to ABC 7 in Los Angeles, Abigail thought she was in a relationship with General Hospital star Steve Burton when she sent who she believed was the actor, $80,000. Burton has been on the soap opera since 1991, and Abigail was a huge fan, which is why she responded to his Facebook message back in October 2024.

From there, the scammer moved their conversations to WhatsApp, where they started telling Abigail how much they loved her.

"I want to live the rest of my life with you," said one message. In another, he wrote out her first name with his last name. Abigail's daughter, Vivian Ruvalcaba, told the outlet that her mother was under the impression she was chatting with Burton. It didn't help that Abigail had suffered from Bipolar 1 Disorder for a number of years.

Things took a turn when the scammer told Abigail that he lost everything in the the Pacific Palisades fires. That's when Abigail sent the swindler $81,304 in gift cards, cash and bitcoin.

"Now she's in complete debt, and now she's going to have to file for bankruptcy," explained Vivian.

At some point, the scammer told Abigail that she should sell her home. She initially said no, but in early 2025, she sent a message saying, "Now I don't care."

Following the sale of her condo for $350,000, Abigail was about to send the scammer $70,000 when Vivian finally realized what was going on. "I'm sickened by it because it went this far," said Vivian.

Vivian said her mother is ashamed of what happened. The scammer put a lot of stress on their family, and they are still digging their way out of the damage that was done. Vivian, who has the power of attorney, filed a lawsuit to try to reverse the sale of her mother's home.

Their attorney argues that Abigail doesn't have the mental capacity to execute a contract like that.

When asked by ABC 7 about how often this happens, Burton said quite a lot. "That I know of who have lost money, it's in the hundreds. It's in the hundreds." He often sees scammers responding to people on his verified Instagram account. Burton assures potential victims that he will never ask for money.

Sometimes he meets women at events who believe they have been in a relationship with him. "It's so sad, you see the devastation," he said.