The Federal Trade Commission has sued Digital Forensics Corporation, its owner Dmitry Belkin and 12 affiliated businesses, alleging a scheme that sold fake help to sextortion victims and took in at least $60 million. A federal court has temporarily ordered the company to stop doing business while the case proceeds.
FTC Complaint Targets an Ohio Company and 12 Affiliated Businesses
The FTC announced the complaint on October 13. Other reporting says it was filed earlier in October. It names Digital Forensics Corporation, an Ohio company, Belkin and 12 businesses, including 1st All Data Recovery and Remote Backup Corp. The firms operated sites such as BlackmailHelpline.com and DigitalForensics.com.
The FTC alleges unfair and deceptive practices and violations of the Telemarketing Act.
Prices From $1,499 to $20,000
According to the complaint, victims paid between $1,499 and $20,000 for “Phase 1” services. Those services were advertised as stopping the attack, tracking the sextortionist, producing an investigative report, notifying law enforcement and sending a cease-and-desist letter.
What the FTC Says the Firms Actually Did
The FTC says the firms did none of this. Instead, they changed account settings to block the sextortionist, fabricated chat transcripts and reused pre-saved location coordinates, typically pointing to Nigeria and the Philippines. Staff followed sales scripts and routinely denied refunds, the agency alleges.
The complaint pairs these allegations with a Telemarketing Act count, which covers the sales calls through which the firms sold the packages.
How Long the Scheme Ran
The FTC alleges the scheme ran from February 2023 through July 2026. Other reporting says it operated since at least 2020. Both accounts put the total taken from victims at no less than $60 million.
The Court’s Temporary Order
A federal court has temporarily ordered the company to stop doing business pending a decision. The litigation continues, and the allegations have not been tested at trial.
A Second Wave of Harm for Blackmail Victims
Sextortion victims are already under pressure when they seek help, and the FTC’s allegations describe a business that targeted them at that moment. The reported price range of $1,499 to $20,000 shows how much the firms asked of people in distress, and the alleged routine denial of refunds would have left them without recourse. The use of fabricated chat transcripts and recycled location coordinates, if proven, would mean that clients received invented evidence in place of the investigation they paid for.
Across the 13 defendants, the complaint covers the company, its owner and 12 businesses, each operating under its own name and website. That structure matters to the FTC’s case because it lets the agency tie multiple brands to one scheme and one owner.
The location detail matters. The complaint says the pre-saved coordinates typically pointed to Nigeria and the Philippines, so the “tracking” a client received was not tied to the actual sextortionist, according to the FTC.
What the Services Were Supposed to Include
The “Phase 1” package carried five promised components: stopping the attack, tracking the sextortionist, an investigative report, notification of law enforcement and a cease-and-desist letter. The FTC’s allegation is that the firms delivered none of them. The one action the complaint says the firms did take was changing account settings to block the sextortionist.
The case also moves enforcement toward a different kind of target. Most public attention in sextortion cases goes to the criminals who send the threats. This complaint targets a business that allegedly profited from the aftermath. Whether the court extends its temporary order will determine if the defendants can keep operating while the FTC pursues its claims. The sources do not say whether the agency will seek refunds for victims.
