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CRITICAL THREAT · Consumer Fraud

FTC Sues Digital Forensics Corporation for Sextortion Relief Scam

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has filed a lawsuit against Digital Forensics Corporation and its CEO, Dmitry Belkin, for allegedly defrauding sextortion victims of at least $60 million. The company operated various websites, including BlackmailHelpline.com and DigitalForensics.com, promising to stop sextortion attacks, track perpetrators, and coordinate with law enforcement, but failed to deliver these services while using deceptive sales tactics.

10/19/2026GoogleYouTubeX (formerly Twitter)General search engines

Warning signs

  • Companies promising quick fixes or guaranteed results for sextortion threats for a high fee
  • High-pressure sales tactics that exploit fear and anxiety
  • Claims that law enforcement will not help or that contacting police is a mistake
  • Failure to provide promised investigative reports or evidence of action taken
  • Denial of refund requests despite failure to deliver services

What you should do

  • Do not pay the blackmailer; ignore and block them immediately
  • Report the incident to local law enforcement and the FBI at fbi.gov or 1-800-225-5324
  • If the victim is a minor, report the incident to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children’s CyberTipline
  • Use TakeItDown.ftc.gov to request the removal of non-consensual intimate images from online platforms
  • Research any paid service by searching the company name alongside terms like 'scam', 'review', or 'complaint'
According to the FTC, Digital Forensics Corporation targeted individuals in crisis by advertising on search engines and social media platforms. The company allegedly pressured victims into purchasing 'Phase 1' and 'Phase 2' service packages, costing thousands of dollars, with false promises of investigative and protective services. The FTC complaint states that the company routinely failed to perform the promised work, generated fake evidence to mislead customers, and denied refund requests. The FTC advises victims of sextortion to ignore and block the blackmailer, avoid paying ransoms, and report the crime to local law enforcement and the FBI. For the removal of non-consensual intimate images, the FTC directs consumers to use official resources like TakeItDown.ftc.gov.

Sources

https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2026/10/ftc-sues-operator-sextortion-relief-scheme-misleading-consumers-believing-it-would-identifyhttps://consumer.ftc.gov/consumer-alerts/2026/10/how-avoid-deceptive-sextortion-assistance-services-and-find-real-helphttps://cyberscoop.com/ftc-lawsuit-dmitry-belkin-sextortion-fraud/https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2026/10/ftc-sues-operator-sextortion-relief-scheme-misleading-consumers-into-believing-it-would-identify