Overview

• Scammers used AI-generated videos and messages to convincingly mimic actor Steve Burton and cultivate a yearlong online relationship with a devoted fan, Abigail Ruvalcaba.
• Once trust was established, the perpetrator extracted more than $81,000 through cash, checks, Zelle and Bitcoin in roughly three weeks.
• Ruvalcaba then sold her family condo for $350,000 and sent the proceeds to the scammer, leaving her with essentially nothing.
• The condo was quickly flipped to a new buyer who told Ruvalcaba’s daughter, Vivian, they would return it only for $100,000 above their purchase price, with an eviction set for September 3.
• Vivian, who holds Power of Attorney due to her mother’s severe bipolar disorder, is preparing legal action to void the sale, has launched a GoFundMe, and cites Burton’s and the FBI’s public warnings about romance scams.