FTC Alleges 'Sextortion Help' Firms Took $60 Million From Victims and Failed to Deliver

The US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has filed a federal lawsuit in Ohio against Dmitry Belkin and 12 of his businesses. It alleges unfair and deceptive trade practices, as well as deceptive and abusive telemarketing, dating back to at least 2020. The FTC is asking the court to stop the owner from further operating the companies, which it says repeatedly defrauded customers out of millions of dollars.

Most of the businesses, including Digital Forensics Corp., 1st All Data Recovery and Remote Backup Corp., advertised help for people caught in sextortion scams, where a criminal threatens to publish a sexual image unless the victim pays. Their websites, such as BlackmailHelpline.com and DigitalForensics.com, were routinely advertised on Google, YouTube, X and other platforms when people searched for help. The FTC alleges the companies took in at least $60 million, failed to deliver most of the services, produced fake transcripts to make customers believe a threat had ended, and routinely refused refunds.

According to the complaint, the companies falsely claimed they could track sextortionists, stop explicit material spreading and work with law enforcement. They also allegedly told victims that police would not help and that contacting them was "the last thing you want to do." Customers were first pitched a "Phase 1" package costing between $1,499 and $20,000, which promised to stop the attack, handle communications with the scammer, trace their location, send a cease-and-desist letter and report evidence to law enforcement.