According to a Federal Trade Commission complaint filed Tuesday, Ohio-based Digital Forensics Corporation and its owner, Dmitry Belkin, ran a sextortion assistance scheme that collected at least $60 million from panicked victims. The FTC says the company charged between $1,499 and $20,000 for "Phase 1" services that supposedly included stopping the attack, locating the sextortionist, notifying law enforcement, and sending a cease-and-desist letter. In reality, the complaint alleges, DFC did none of those things.
Instead, the FTC alleges, DFC staff changed victims' account settings to block the sextortionist, fabricated chat transcripts, and reused pre-saved location coordinates — typically for Nigeria and the Philippines — to make it look as though they had traced the threat. Sales calls followed a script and were customized to exploit specific fears: military victims were warned about dishonorable discharge, while married victims were told spouses and in-laws could be targeted. The company also allegedly told victims that law enforcement would not help, contradicting FBI guidance to ignore and block sextortionists.
A second tier of "Phase 2" services was pitched as rare but allegedly offered to every customer, adding thousands more in costs. The FTC says DFC refused refunds, posted fake positive reviews, paid Uber drivers to post fabricated testimonials, and directed complaining customers to fake Better Business Bureau websites. The agency says it has received hundreds of reports about the company's practices. A federal court has temporarily barred DFC from doing business while the case proceeds; DFC did not respond to a request for comment.