Woman Loses Home After AI Deepfake Romance Scam

She Was 66, Lonely, and Looking for Connection. Scammers Knew That.

Abigail Ruvalcaba, 66, of Harbor City, California, thought she had found love online. The man she was speaking with told her he was Steve Burton, the actor best known for playing Jason Morgan on General Hospital. They talked every day. He told her he cared about her. Then he started asking for money.

By the time it was over, Ruvalcaba had lost $81,304 in cash and had sold her Harbor City condo - which fetched $350,000 - to keep funding what she believed was a real relationship. The condo money is gone too.

How the Scam Worked

The scam began on Facebook and quickly moved to WhatsApp, a pattern common in romance fraud operations. The person Ruvalcaba believed was Burton used what investigators described as AI-generated deepfake video to simulate the actor’s appearance during video calls, making the deception more convincing than a simple photo exchange.

The fake Burton told her he needed money for various reasons - emergencies, travel, investments. She complied repeatedly, each transaction reinforcing her belief that the relationship was real. When the cash ran out, she was encouraged to sell her home.

What the Real Steve Burton Did

Steve Burton, the actual actor, has spoken publicly about being the target of impersonation scams. He has explicitly warned fans that he does not solicit money from them and that anyone receiving such requests is being defrauded. His statements came after multiple victims came forward with similar stories.

Burton is not a party to any legal action taken by Ruvalcaba and has no connection to the people who ran this scam.

The Scale of What She Lost

Ruvalcaba lost not just her savings but her home - the primary physical anchor of stability for a woman in her sixties living alone. Her family has spoken about the emotional and financial devastation, describing a woman who was defrauded over an extended period, beginning in what reporting indicates was late 2024 and continuing into 2025.

The total loss - approximately $431,000 when combining the cash and real estate proceeds - is not recoverable through standard fraud remediation channels. No suspect has been publicly charged as of this writing.

How to Protect Yourself

Romance scams targeting adults 50 and older are among the most financially devastating forms of fraud tracked by the FBI. The combination of emotional manipulation, fake video, and platform migration from Facebook to WhatsApp is a known escalation pattern.

The FBI advises: never send money to someone you have not met in person; reverse-search all photos; be extremely wary of any romantic contact that begins on social media and quickly seeks financial assistance. If you believe you are being scammed, contact the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center at ic3.gov.

References: AI Deepfake Romance Scam Steals Woman’s Home and Life Savings | Fake Video of General Hospital Star Used to Scam Woman Out of $81,000