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AI deepfake of actor Steve Burton used in romance scam costing woman home
A Los Angeles woman reportedly lost $80,000 and sold her home after being deceived by scammers using an AI deepfake video of General Hospital actor Steve Burton in a romance scam. The victim's daughter has filed a lawsuit to reverse the home sale, arguing her mother lacked the mental capacity to execute the contract.
October 2024 · Steve Burton · Fraud, scams and manipulation
Abigail Ruvalcaba received a Facebook message in October 2024 that she believed was from General Hospital actor Steve Burton. The scammer moved conversations to WhatsApp and expressed romantic interest, eventually claiming to have lost everything in the Pacific Palisades fires.
Over several months, Ruvalcaba sent the scammer $81,304 in gift cards, cash and bitcoin. In early 2025, after the scammer told her to sell her home, she sold her condo for $350,000 and was about to send the scammer $70,000 when her daughter Vivian Ruvalcaba discovered the scheme.
Reported impact
Ruvalcaba is reportedly now in complete debt and faces bankruptcy. Her daughter filed a lawsuit seeking to reverse the home sale, arguing that Abigail lacks the mental capacity to execute such a contract.