Months after a woman in France was scammed out of hundreds of thousands of dollars by a scammer who posed asBrad Pittusing AI-generated images, another victim has been swindled in a similar scheme involving videos featuring an AI version ofGeneral HospitalstarSteve Burton. In a video shared to TikTok today byGood Morning America,Vivian Ruvalcabafought back tears as she explained that her mother was targeted by someone pretending to be the actor in a series of convincing AI videos claiming that he lost property in the Los Angeles wildfires and was in need of financial help. "I'm sickened by it because it went this far," Ruvalcaba said. "Why didn't I know this? Why didn't I see what was happening? What did I miss?" As Ruvalcaba explained, her mother (who suffers from mental illness and Bipolar 1 Disorder) was completely fooled by the texts from the scammer, which included deepfake videos featuring the fake Burton saying things like, "Hello, Abigail. I love you so much, darling. I had to make this video to make you happy, my love." "In her head, there was no scammer," Ruvalcaba said. "She was talking to Steve Burton the entire time." According to a police report, Ruvalcaba's mother ended up sending the scammer at least $81,304 in gift cards, cash and bitcoin, even going so far as to sell her condo for $350,000. Thankfully, Ruvalcaba found out what was going on before her mom sent even more money to the thief. "Had I not intervened when I did, she was scheduled to send the scammer $70,000 out of that money that was sitting there," Ruvalcaba said. "She's ashamed. I know she is, and to put that stress on me, on herself, on my dad, the entire family, I know it weighs heavy on her." Speaking to7 On Your Side Investigates, Burton (who's played fan-favoriteGHcharacter Jason Morgan since 1991) warned fans against falling victim to this kind of scam. "First of all, I don't need your money," Burton said. "I would never ask for money." Unfortunately, this isn't the first time the actor has heard about his fans being fooled by scammers. "I see people come to my appearances and look at me like they've had a relationship online for a couple years, 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," he said. According to Ruvalcaba, she and her mother have filed a lawsuit trying to reverse the home sale, arguing that Abigail is not of sound mind; however, the case has yet to be decided. Related: Johnny Depp Issues Urgent PSA for the 'Protection' of His Fans This story was originally reported byParadeon Aug 28, 2025, where it first appeared in theNewssection. Add Parade as aPreferred Source by clicking here.
