Los Angeles, California. A 66-year-old Southern California woman, Abigail Ruvalcaba, lost her home after a sophisticated romance scam that used artificial intelligence to steal her life savings.
Ruvalcaba believed she had fallen in love with General Hospital actor Steve Burton. Over a year ago, she met someone she thought was Burton on Facebook. After communicating online and through video messages, she came to believe their relationship was real.
“I thought I was in love,” Abigail told KTLA. “I thought we were going to have a good life together.”
However, the videos she received were deepfakes: a scammer used AI to replicate the actor’s voice and likeness. The hyperrealistic video made it appear as though Burton was genuinely speaking with her.
“To me, it looks real, even now,” she said. “I don’t know anything about AI.”
Soon, the scammer began asking Ruvalcaba to send money, promising to pay her back later. Her family said she fell victim to emotional manipulation, sending the scammer more than $81,000 in cash, including checks, Zelle transfers, and Bitcoin.
The scam escalated. After giving away her life savings, Abigail agreed to sell her family’s condo for $350,000 and send the proceeds to the scammer.
“It happened so quickly, within less than three weeks,” said her daughter, Vivian Ruvalcaba. “The sale of the home was done. It was over with.”
Vivian said her mother’s mental health – she suffers from severe bipolar disorder – made her an easy target.
“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 recalled.
On a GoFundMe page set up to help Abigail, Vivian explained that there was only $45,000 left on the mortgage, but in her mother’s rush to send more money to the scammer, she sold the condo far below market value to a real estate company. The new owner reportedly flipped the home and sold it to another buyer.
“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 GoFundMe.
She said the new owner offered to sell the condo back to them for $100,000 more than what they paid – money the family does not have.
Reports of deepfake scams using Burton’s likeness also prompted the actor to warn his social media followers.
For Abigail and her family, the warning came too late. They may be forced to move out of their home. Vivian said the family plans to sue the companies that purchased the condo and hopes their attorney can prevent her mother from being evicted on September 3.
“I feel stupid, taken,” Abigail said. “Why is somebody asking me for money? I feel like a dummy. I was in a fantasy world, obviously.”
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