FTC sues Dmitry Belkin over $60 million sextortion scam

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has filed a federal lawsuit in Ohio against Dmitry Belkin and 12 of his businesses, alleging they defrauded customers of at least $60 million. The companies, including Digital Forensics Corp., targeted individuals facing “sextortion” scams—situations where criminals threaten to release sensitive or explicit images unless a ransom is paid.

According to the FTC, the defendants falsely claimed they could track extortionists, prevent the spread of explicit material, and coordinate with law enforcement. Instead, the businesses allegedly provided little to no actual service. The complaint states that the companies would charge victims between $1,499 and $20,000 for “Phase 1” packages, but would instead perform minor tasks like changing account settings to block communications or fabricating chat transcripts to mislead customers.

To maintain the illusion of progress, the FTC alleges the defendants used fake location coordinates, often pointing to Nigeria or the Philippines, to convince victims they had located the attackers. A federal court has issued a temporary order to halt the companies from further operations while the legal proceedings continue.