As reported by cyberscoop, the Federal Trade Commission is pursuing legal action to halt the operations of multiple digital security and privacy companies, alleging they have systematically defrauded customers out of millions of dollars through deceptive practices. The FTC filed a lawsuit in Ohio against Dmitry Belkin and 12 of his businesses, accusing them of violating federal trade and telemarketing laws since at least 2020.
Belkin's companies, including Digital Forensics Corp. and 1 All Data Recovery, advertised services to assist individuals targeted by online romance scams and sextortion schemes. These businesses, promoted on platforms like Google and X, allegedly collected at least $60 million by falsely promising to track down perpetrators, prevent the spread of explicit material, and coordinate with law enforcement. However, the FTC claims the companies largely failed to deliver these services, instead manipulating customers with fabricated evidence of resolved threats and denying refund requests. The lawsuit details how the companies exploited victims' fears, using high-pressure sales tactics and scripts designed to amplify anxieties about their images being published. Despite receiving hundreds of refund requests, the businesses allegedly denied most, manipulated online reviews, and even created fake consumer protection websites to manage complaints.
Source: cyberscoop
