A woman named Abigail believed she was in a romantic relationship with a famous actor. The messages felt real. The voice sounded right. The video looked authentic. And the love felt personal.

By the time her family realized what was happening, more than $81,000 was gone — and so was the paid-off home she planned to retire in.

What began as online messages quietly escalated into financial ruin and the loss of a family home.

The scam did not begin with a phone call or a threat. It began with a message. “Facebook is where it started,” her daughter Vivian explained. “She was directly messaged by an individual.” That individual claimed to be Steve Burton, a longtime star of “General Hospital.” Abigail watched the show regularly. She knew his face. She knew his voice.

After a short time, the conversation moved off Facebook. “He then led her to create an account with WhatsApp,” Vivian said. “When I discovered that, and I looked at the messaging, you can see all the manipulation.”