Los Angeles woman loses $81,000 and home in AI deepfake romance scam

Summary

In Los Angeles, California, a woman identified as Abigail was targeted by a deep‑fake romance scam that began on Facebook and continued on WhatsApp. Scammers used AI‑generated video and voice to impersonate actor Steve Burton, persuading her to send gift cards, cash and cryptocurrency totaling $81,000. They then pressured her to sell her condominium at a steep discount to a wholesale real‑estate company, causing her to lose the equity and her home. The LAPD recorded the losses, but the funds were not recovered, and the family pursued a civil lawsuit to contest the sale.