Woman loses life savings in scam using AI to pose as TV star
KABC Eyewitness News | A Southern California woman wishes she had known sooner what her mother was doing online. It turns out that her mother had been texting a scammer who was sending her deepfake videos, pretending to be “General Hospital” star Steve Burton.
The celebrity imposter sent a video where an AI-created video of Burton says, "Hello, Abigail. I love you so much, darling. I had to make this video to make you happy, my love."
She started receiving the videos on Facebook Messenger in October of last year and believed they were from the real star. Her daughter, Vivian Ruvalcaba, says Abigail suffers from mental illness and Bipolar 1 Disorder.
When the celebrity impersonator posing as the soap star texted her mom that he lost properties in the L.A. fires, Abigail believed it. The scammer moved the conversation over to WhatsApp — a common tactic to make it harder to trace the communications.
Thinking Burton needed money so they could buy a home together, Abigail sent the scammer at least $81,000 in gift cards, cash, and bitcoin. Then, he encouraged her to sell her condominium. She was about to send another $70,000 when her daughter discovered what was happening.
Steve Burton — the real one — has heard stories like this before. He believes hundreds of people may have lost money in scams using his voice and likeness.
"I see people come to my appearances and look at me like they've had a relationship online for a couple years,” he told KABC Eyewitness News. “And I'm like, 'No, I'm sorry. I don't know who you are.' And you just see, it's so sad, you see the devastation.”