Woman in Los Angeles Loses Over $81,000 to AI-Generated Celebrity Scam

A resident of Los Angeles was defrauded of more than $81,000 by a scammer who used AI-created videos of “General Hospital” actor Steve Burton to deceive her.

Abigail Ruvalcaba believed she was in a romantic relationship with Burton after receiving videos and images that appeared to show him expressing love and professing his feelings. Her belief was manipulated by deepfake content where Burton’s likeness and voice were convincingly faked to appear genuine.

The scammer convinced Ruvalcaba that Burton had lost property in Los Angeles wildfires earlier this year. Under this false pretense, she sold her condo for $350,000 and was prepared to transfer the funds to the scammer. It was only when her daughter, Vivian Ruvalcaba, intervened that the fraudulent transaction was stopped.

Abigail’s daughter explained that her mother, who suffers from bipolar 1 disorder, was in a manic state during the scam. Vivian said, “In her mind, she was talking to Steve Burton the entire time.” Burton, who has played Jason Morgan since 1991, confirmed he’s witnessed similar scams using his likeness many times, with victims losing hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Burton emphasized that he would never ask fans for money and warned about the dangers of such scams. He expressed sadness over the situation, questioning why he wasn’t aware of the scam earlier and how devastating these frauds can be.

The incident highlights the increasing prevalence of AI-driven scams involving celebrities, where victims are convinced they have genuine online relationships. A similar case in January involved a French woman who was duped out of $850,000 by a scammer using AI images claiming Pitt was hospitalized and needed financial help. The woman’s realization came upon reports of Pitt’s actual ongoing relationship with Ines de Ramon, which contradicted the scammer’s story.