A woman from southern California lost her home after a complex romantic fraud that used artificial intelligence to spare her from her life savings.
Abyel Ruffalaba, 66, believed that she had fell in love with the hospital’s general actor Steve Berton.
More than a year ago, she met those who thought she was Burton on Facebook. After communicating online and through video messages, I finally thought that her relationship was real.
“I thought I was in love,” I told Abeel Sandra Mitchell of KTLA. “I thought we’ll get a good life together.”
You did not know that the videos sent to it were the DeepFake videos created by a deception that used Amnesty International to steal and the same. Make the excessive realistic video that the actor was already talking to her.
“For me, it looks real, so far,” she said. “I don’t know anything about artificial intelligence.”
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From the left: A picture of the representative of the General Hospital Steve Burton and the DeepFake video that stole his voice and likeness, which was created by a deception using artificial intelligence. -
Abyel Rovapah, 66, from South Los Angeles, lost her life savings and home after she was targeted by a deception using Deepfake Ai videos. (Ktla) -
Vivian Rovekaba, daughter of the victim, speaks with KTLA on August 27, 2025. (KTLA) -
Abigail Ruvalcaba sold the South La apartment for $ 350,000, much lower than the market value after manipulating it to send the money of the deception. (Ktla) -
Deepfake’s video created by a deception using artificial intelligence, pretending to be the general representative of the hospital Steve Berton. (The Rovekaba family)
Before a long time ago, the deception began to ask Rovkapa to send money that they will eventually restore. Her family said that she had fallen victim to emotional manipulation and sent the deceptive more than $ 81,000 in cash.
And she said, “Then, Zil and Bitcoin are realized, everything was.”
The fraud continued and after giving up the savings of her life, Abyel agreed to sell her family’s residence for $ 350,000 and send revenues to the deception.
“This has happened quickly, in less than three weeks,” said Vivian Rovekaba, the victim’s daughter. “The house was sold. It is over.”
Vivian said that due to her mother’s mental health, she was fighting a severe bipolar disorder, which became an easy target for the scammers.
Fifian said when her mother faced fraud: “She argued with me, saying:” No, how do you tell me that this is Amnesty International if it seems like him? ” This is his face, this is his voice, I watch it on TV all the time. “
On the Gofundme page to help Abeel, her daughter, Vivian Rovalaba, she said that only $ 45,000 left for a mortgage, but in her hurry to send more money, Abyel sold her residence much less than the market value to a real estate company.
According to what was mentioned by the new owner of the house and sold to another owner.
“When I discovered the fraud in February 2025, I immediately called all the concerned, and I presented my attorney lawyer, and I presented three medical messages from her doctors who confirm that my mother lacks the ability to make these decisions,” Vivian wrote on Gofundment.
She claims that the new owner offered to sell the apartment for $ 100,000 than they paid, and the money that the family does not own.
Reports on deep fraud using Burton’s similarity as well Pay the actor to issue a warning For his followers on social media.
As for Abyel and her family, the warning came too late and they may have to leave their home. Her daughter said that the family is planning to prosecute the companies that bought the apartment and hoped that her lawyer can prevent her mother in one way or another on September 3.
Abyel said that she is destroyed by the ordeal and hopes to know what was happening before falling into the scheme. She hopes that by sharing her story, this will prevent others from making the same mistake.
“I feel stupid, and I took,” she said. “Why do someone ask me about money? I feel a doll. I was in my imagination, clearly.”
GofundMme page to help abigail with legal expenses It can be found here.
Federal Bureau officials give these tips to protect yourself from the deep romance fraud process:
- Never send money to anyone you only contacted online or online
- Beware if a person seems perfect or asks you to quickly leave the dating service or the social networking site to communicate directly
- Be alert if they try to remove you from friends and family, or ask for inappropriate images or financial information that can be used later to blackmail you
- Beware if they promise to meet personally, but they moved away from an excuse why he could not. If you have not met them a few months, for any reason, you have a good reason to drink
More information about romantic fraud and how to protect yourself It can be found here.