A NEW gift card scam involving a fake online romance is fleecing victims out of up to $33,000.

The scam uses a General Hospital star as its bait, and the actor himself has warned fans not to get fooled.

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A new scam is stealing up to $33,000 from its victims with a sinister tacticCredit: Getty

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The criminals will request payment in the form of gift cardsCredit: Getty
A new scam is coaxing thousands of dollars out of its victims using a pretend online romance with General Hospital star Steve Burton as a trap.

One victim from Indianapolis, Indiana, was scammed out of $33,000.

The scammers created a fake online romance with her, impersonating Burton via social media messages.

They convinced her to hand over the money via gift cards from well-known stores like Target, Best Buy, and Meijer.

“He was such a sweet talker. He would convince me,” the victim told WRTV.

“I would say I was in love. Stupid in love.”

ACTOR’S WARNING

But the General Hospital star himself has warned his fans about the scam.

Speaking on the Daily Drama podcast, Burton said: “Anytime anyone asks for money it’s a red flag.”

He continued: “We’re going to get into if it seems too good to be true, it’s too good to be true, but in my case… it’s become more rampant with impersonation or imposters of celebrities.”

In August 2023, he told his followers on Instagram he does not “reach out personally to fans” and to “beware of scammers.”

WHY GIFT CARDS?

Scammer have begun using gift cards in recent years to steal money from victims.

The criminals will request that victims either send them a digital gift card or send a photo of the physical gift card’s activation code.

Scammers like gift cards because it is hard for the authorities to track where the money went.

Criminals can then sell these gift cards on the black market to liquidate the cash.

Stores are becoming aware that scammers are buying gift cards for nefarious purposes.

Walmart has returned a total of $4 million to affected victims since 2018, and has set up a dedicated hotline for those who believe they may have been hit by a gift card scammer – (888) 537-5503.

If you’ve been a victim of a scam, you can also report it to the Federal Trade Commission.

Meanwhile, a Venmo scam is wiping the balance of victims’ checking accounts.

And a sinister deepfake AI video of Taylor Swift is luring fans into a credit card con.