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00:00:15You don't know what's going on, if you want to fuck off, fuck off then, fucking beat it.
00:00:33OnlyFans is a British website, best known for hosting pornography.
00:00:38The website's made millions from selling photos and videos.
00:00:42OnlyFans.
00:00:43OnlyFans.
00:00:43OnlyFans.com.
00:00:45OnlyFans, the British company that's transformed how explicit content is made and sold.
00:00:51We don't try to be everyone's cup of tea.
00:00:53We're happy to be someone's glass of champagne.
00:00:56They champion empowerment and independence, especially for women.
00:01:02But beneath the surface, the website's rapid growth has attracted a new entrepreneur.
00:01:08So you're thinking about starting an OnlyFans management agency?
00:01:11I know that there is a market for this.
00:01:13I've just effectively made a few hundred grand sat there.
00:01:17Honestly, there's never been a better time to jump in than right now.
00:01:20They called themselves OnlyFans managers.
00:01:26Behind the industry's promise of freedom and fast money, a different story was unfolding.
00:01:32I don't think there's anything intrinsically wrong with women doing OnlyFans, as long as
00:01:35I had influence and control over it.
00:01:37What do you mean?
00:01:42They've told me to do all the explicit content.
00:01:45It just made me feel so disgusting, so degraded.
00:01:49What if this wasn't just a new business model?
00:01:53What if it was something far more troubling?
00:01:57They threw me up the stairs and backed up, and they were on top of me, strangling me.
00:02:02They thought, this is it.
00:02:04Paid out $25 billion to creators.
00:02:07There's not very many tech companies that can talk about creating wealth.
00:02:10OnlyFans is the UK's greatest social media success.
00:02:16But are they betraying the creators who made them billions?
00:02:20And on a platform built on autonomy, who's really in control?
00:02:41This is one of Manchester's wealthiest neighbourhoods.
00:02:46I'm talking footballers, millionaires.
00:02:53I'd been sent to look into Britain's booming OnlyFans industry.
00:02:58I knew the platform had exploded in recent years, but what was happening behind the scenes
00:03:05wasn't clear.
00:03:06I think it's around here somewhere.
00:03:10I was on my way to an OnlyFans content shoot day.
00:03:15A group of creators have been brought together by their manager to make videos and photos
00:03:21for their OnlyFans profile.
00:03:32What is going on here?
00:03:35Oh, yeah, sorry.
00:03:36Don't let me get in the way of the content.
00:03:42It's just the content is just happening everywhere, and I'm getting people shot.
00:03:48She was close.
00:03:49Hello, how are you?
00:03:50Hi, how are you?
00:03:51I'm so sorry, my top's up.
00:03:53No, it's fine.
00:03:54My hands are freezing.
00:03:55Tell me about today.
00:03:57No, you tell me about today.
00:03:58I've been to one of these before.
00:04:00I'm just slowly taking it in my face.
00:04:02It's a bit, when I went to my first one, it was a bit like, wow.
00:04:06Three, two...
00:04:07Before OnlyFans, I was a barber, so I used to cut hair, so I didn't think there was going
00:04:12to be a massive thing.
00:04:15How much are you making?
00:04:16Is it, like, what's a healthy month for you?
00:04:19If I make over ten, I'm happy.
00:04:21Ten K?
00:04:22Yeah, $10,000, so about £7,500.
00:04:26That is a lot of money, though.
00:04:28£7,500.
00:04:30It is a lot of money for a normal person who has a normal job, 9 to 5, but at
00:04:34the end
00:04:34of the day, this world's going to, how would I say, in a nice way, shit, so everything's
00:04:41going up, house prices are going up, but I'll tell you, I'm not earning that much compared
00:04:45to half of these people around here.
00:04:54The day had been organised by Manchester-based Rebel Management Agency, owned by OnlyFans
00:05:00manager Jordan Smith.
00:05:03Obviously, a girl's got a straight guy audience, and guys have got gay guys.
00:05:09Wait, wait, one sec.
00:05:10So, those guys over there, they predominantly have a gay audience buying their material?
00:05:15Oh, yeah.
00:05:16Well, 99.9% of them.
00:05:19No women buy it.
00:05:20Very small proportion.
00:05:24Jordan represented both men and women from across the UK.
00:05:30But the platform's dominated by women.
00:05:36Can you take me on a tour, please, of this content house?
00:05:39Yeah, of course.
00:05:39Well, straight off, we've obviously got the supercars.
00:05:42People are already making content in there.
00:05:47We've got different rooms that we use for different purposes, so this is the games room.
00:05:52Lots of lingerie around.
00:05:54Yeah, lingerie.
00:05:56So, the advantage of this is we want to create as much social media content as possible.
00:06:01Each room is different and creates a different vibe.
00:06:03Also makes it look like it's a different place, so it doesn't look like it's being all done
00:06:07in one day.
00:06:11Three, two, one.
00:06:15Many of these creators had started working with Jordan.
00:06:20His job was to then grow their profiles and maximise their earnings.
00:06:26OnlyFans took a standard 20% commission from everything they sold.
00:06:31Jordan's agency would then take an additional 30%.
00:06:39Hello.
00:06:43How's the day going?
00:06:45It's actually going so much.
00:06:46Yeah, really good.
00:06:47I've actually got so much done.
00:06:48How long have you been in the OnlyFans game?
00:06:51Me, I've done OnlyFans for about four years.
00:06:54Started in lockdown.
00:06:55I did have a very normal job before this.
00:06:58Did you?
00:06:58What did you do?
00:06:59I worked in palliative care.
00:07:01Yeah.
00:07:01Yeah.
00:07:03Do you miss doing your, like, palliative care side of it?
00:07:05I do, you know.
00:07:06Yeah.
00:07:07I do miss it.
00:07:08I could just never go back into it now, obviously, doing this, but, yeah.
00:07:12Do you think, I'm getting a sense there's a lot of people who've had quite normal jobs now.
00:07:16I think that's why a lot of people are the word OnlyFans and just assume.
00:07:22Slap.
00:07:23Yeah, pretty much.
00:07:24I mean, I didn't ever think it would be something that I'd be able to do full time because, one,
00:07:29there's not many lads that look like how I do and dress like how I do that do OnlyFans.
00:07:33I kept it discreet for a while and then I signed with this management.
00:07:36It's interesting learning about the management side of things because that is, you know,
00:07:41that's a third party coming in to be involved in your work.
00:07:44Like, do you feel like you have to have management, though?
00:07:47Because you guys are obviously very strong, independent people.
00:07:51You've got good ideas.
00:07:52Do you need them?
00:07:53If you asked me a few months ago, I'd have said I'd never have a management again.
00:07:57It was, we're going to book this for you.
00:07:59We're going to do this.
00:08:00Right, come down and we'll take photos of you.
00:08:02Do this, do this.
00:08:02And it was, like, it just never happened.
00:08:05And then there were always an excuse.
00:08:07So, I felt so stuck because, obviously, I'd signed a 12-month contract.
00:08:11You signed it.
00:08:12So, you signed up to them for a year.
00:08:15And what cut were they taking from you, Liam?
00:08:18So, they initially were taking 50% of my earnings.
00:08:22They were taking 50% of your earnings?
00:08:25I kind of thought, because I wasn't earning a lot of money,
00:08:28at first I kind of thought, well, I'm not used to the money anyway,
00:08:31so any money's better than no money.
00:08:33But you're the one who's, like, putting yourself out there.
00:08:37It's your body.
00:08:38It's quite exposing stuff.
00:08:39Yeah.
00:08:40When I'd actually put it into perspective,
00:08:43I'm putting, like, my full naked body all over the internet for pittance.
00:08:47I felt trapped.
00:08:48This is why I'm saying, know what you're getting sent in for
00:08:51and do your research when it comes to management
00:08:53and speak to people first before joining the management.
00:09:01Many of the creators I met were positive about the industry,
00:09:05and I could see how having a manager could boost your earnings.
00:09:08But Liam's story about being trapped in high-commission contracts
00:09:13with a previous agency made me wonder if there was more
00:09:16to these self-styled managers.
00:09:21My hometown Manchester had become one of the UK's main hubs
00:09:26for the OnlyFans community.
00:09:28In some of the high-rise skyscrapers,
00:09:31entire floors had been adapted into dedicated content rooms.
00:09:36I wanted to sit down with Jordan
00:09:38as I was curious to understand more about how the business worked.
00:09:45Welcome to the Rebel Devils podcast.
00:09:47My name is Jordan Smith, and I'm your host.
00:09:50I'm here today with two of the UK's biggest slags.
00:09:56Is that you?
00:09:57Yes, that is me.
00:09:58You're describing sort of setting up the UK version
00:10:01of the Playboy Mansion.
00:10:02Yeah, so when that was made, that was my goal.
00:10:05I wanted to recreate the Playboy Mansion for the 21st century.
00:10:08What is this thing about managers?
00:10:09How did they then start becoming a thing?
00:10:11The thing is, once you start getting to a certain level of subscribers,
00:10:15it is physically impossible to manage it all on your own.
00:10:18Why?
00:10:18Because more people means more marketing.
00:10:21You know, it's like as your business gets bigger,
00:10:23just like any other business,
00:10:24you need a team to support you to execute it, right?
00:10:28So if you do it on your own, you're limiting your own growth.
00:10:31How have you seen this OnlyFans manager industry change then?
00:10:35It sounds like a lot of people are being drawn to it.
00:10:37When I first started, there was a few.
00:10:39Now there's a lot, you know, and they're all over the world.
00:10:41I think OnlyFans became like a $1 billion industry
00:10:44around the time I started.
00:10:46So obviously, ka-chings were going everywhere.
00:10:49You know, because it's just like, you know, it's the gold rush.
00:10:52What do you think about this sort of like entrepreneurial thing
00:10:55that's being kind of sold a lot to younger men?
00:10:57So it's kind of, it's almost like the new dropshipping.
00:11:00Like, you know, people are selling it like,
00:11:02this is the easiest way to make money.
00:11:03But it's real women and it's sexual content instead of items.
00:11:07Yeah.
00:11:08Like, do you have to sign up to any pledges?
00:11:10Do you have to do any kind of training
00:11:11to get into this side of a profession, I suppose?
00:11:14Not that I'm aware of, no.
00:11:17Because there's no regulation and stuff in the industry,
00:11:19any Tom, Dick or Harry could make an agency.
00:11:26For anybody who's new here and you don't know,
00:11:29this is my house and these are two of my cards.
00:11:33OnlyFans' managers were everywhere online.
00:11:36They were known across social media as OFM.
00:11:39I'm going to show you what a real day in the life
00:11:41of an OFM millionaire looks like.
00:11:44A quick search revealed hundreds of agencies.
00:11:48Some offered services that helped models
00:11:51manage their accounts and boost their income.
00:11:54They looked legitimate.
00:11:56Many promoted a message of quick profits.
00:11:59$1,000.
00:12:00And you can now move on to getting your next model
00:12:03and you just rinse and repeat that cycle.
00:12:06They sold a version of success.
00:12:08Luxury living, expensive things.
00:12:14It seemed that the aim was to pull in
00:12:17as many models as possible.
00:12:19They taught each other how to scale up accounts
00:12:22and get rich quickly.
00:12:26I tried to speak to them,
00:12:28but despite being so vocal online,
00:12:31none except Jordan Smith wanted to meet me on camera.
00:12:36I wasn't sure why.
00:12:39So I turned to the creators.
00:12:42I got in contact with one of the biggest
00:12:44OnlyFans models in Manchester.
00:12:48She'd been working on the platform since it launched.
00:12:55She worked independently,
00:12:57but I heard she was getting hundreds of messages
00:13:00from these managers every week.
00:13:02I wanted to understand how they tried to pull people in.
00:13:10Oh, my God.
00:13:11Very high, isn't it?
00:13:13It's not one for...
00:13:14That's a good idea.
00:13:21There's loads.
00:13:22My God, it's literally non-stop.
00:13:24It is literally non-stop.
00:13:25It's all the time.
00:13:26It's really annoying.
00:13:28I just find it dead interesting
00:13:30that you are getting actually more messages
00:13:32from managers than even fans.
00:13:34God, yeah, 100%.
00:13:35I've stopped even checking my message requests now
00:13:38because the fan-to-manager ratio is ridiculous.
00:13:42A lot of these managements literally started
00:13:44as soon as they turned 18,
00:13:47which is scary
00:13:47because I think the same kind of thing's happening
00:13:49with the models as well.
00:13:50Now, like, they're just turning 18
00:13:52and straight on OnlyFans.
00:13:53It's really sad.
00:13:55Scary.
00:13:56So this guy messaged,
00:13:58Hey, do you have 50 new paid subs daily?
00:14:00I won't lie to you.
00:14:01We help our clients reach this goal within 60 days.
00:14:05So I just asked him if he was free for a call.
00:14:09Oh, he's bringing me on here.
00:14:10Yeah.
00:14:13How's it going?
00:14:14I'm good.
00:14:15How are you?
00:14:16Cool.
00:14:17So I'll explain how we work,
00:14:19how we can help you grow.
00:14:20Okay.
00:14:21So, yeah, we've been doing this
00:14:23for three and a half years now.
00:14:25What makes us different
00:14:26is the system that we've built.
00:14:29Getting consistent, high-quality subscribers
00:14:32who actually buy.
00:14:33And the most important part, in my opinion,
00:14:35is the retention.
00:14:37Okay.
00:14:37So keeping the fans engaged
00:14:40is the key to success.
00:14:43How much are you currently making
00:14:44with your insurance?
00:14:46The payage is not doing that great.
00:14:48It's doing about 5K a month.
00:14:51Yeah.
00:14:51I've looked at your account
00:14:52and you should be making
00:14:53way more than 5K per month
00:14:56with the current views
00:14:58that you're pulling in.
00:14:58If we don't have a very minimum,
00:15:01like, within the next 60 days,
00:15:033X your take-home,
00:15:04then you wouldn't have to pay us
00:15:05and I will send you $2,000
00:15:07for wasting your time.
00:15:09Okay.
00:15:10What kind of, like, percentage
00:15:11do you take for that?
00:15:13So we take 50%
00:15:15of the net revenues.
00:15:17Okay.
00:15:18All right.
00:15:18Well, I'll have a think about it
00:15:20and I'll have to get back to you about it
00:15:22if that's all right.
00:15:23Awesome.
00:15:24All right.
00:15:24Thanks for your time to hear.
00:15:25I'll speak to you soon.
00:15:25No worries.
00:15:26Thank you to speak to you soon.
00:15:27Bye.
00:15:29I can grow you three times your income.
00:15:33Yeah.
00:15:33So you said you're on 5K.
00:15:35Yeah.
00:15:35He can grow that to at least 15.
00:15:37Yeah.
00:15:38Is that believable?
00:15:40I mean, yeah,
00:15:40because it's not like
00:15:41that kind of money's not realistic.
00:15:43Say if I was making,
00:15:45I don't know,
00:15:45maybe 3K a month,
00:15:47realistically,
00:15:48all they need to earn me
00:15:49is an extra 4,000
00:15:52for me to still be making
00:15:54more than what I was making
00:15:55without them.
00:15:56So that would be how
00:15:57I would justify it
00:15:58to giving them that much.
00:15:59But 9 times out of 10,
00:16:01they just take their half cut
00:16:03and then just bring your page
00:16:04into the ground, so.
00:16:06You strike me as though
00:16:07you're a bit savvy
00:16:09to this stuff now.
00:16:10Oh, yeah.
00:16:10100%.
00:16:11When I first started,
00:16:13it was a lot more low maintenance,
00:16:14but it's very, very different now.
00:16:17I think that's why
00:16:18it's got so oversaturated
00:16:20because there's so many
00:16:21in messaging all the time
00:16:23with all these crazy results.
00:16:25It's so easy
00:16:25to just click on the first one
00:16:26and be like,
00:16:27right, that one looks good.
00:16:29And that's where
00:16:29these managements
00:16:30can be very predatory.
00:16:37The more I was hearing
00:16:39about managers,
00:16:40the more questions I had.
00:16:47So we put a team together
00:16:49and started looking into
00:16:51this growing hidden economy.
00:16:53We put a call out
00:16:55to speak to as many creators
00:16:56as possible
00:16:57who'd had experience
00:16:59of working with managers.
00:17:01If she makes less than 10,000,
00:17:05you should take 50 to 65%
00:17:08of her earnings
00:17:10because at the same time,
00:17:11you have potential
00:17:12to make her triple her money.
00:17:14We found some how-to guides online.
00:17:17Send her a contract to sign
00:17:19based on what you have agreed.
00:17:21You have your first model.
00:17:23Congratulations.
00:17:24The promise was clear.
00:17:27This was an opportunity.
00:17:29The chance to make
00:17:31some serious money.
00:17:36OnlyFans models
00:17:37had started getting in touch
00:17:39following our call out.
00:17:42Most were too nervous
00:17:44to talk on camera.
00:17:46Some, however,
00:17:48agreed to meet me.
00:18:09I saw it as,
00:18:10I didn't do anything explicit.
00:18:12I put lingerie photos
00:18:15on OnlyFans
00:18:16and get paid for it.
00:18:18You know, so,
00:18:19and that's how I started.
00:18:22I did exactly
00:18:23what I was comfortable with.
00:18:25So when you made
00:18:26the first jump into it,
00:18:28was money the main driver,
00:18:30would you say?
00:18:30Yeah.
00:18:31Yeah.
00:18:32Yeah, I've been four kids.
00:18:34Like, you want to earn
00:18:34as much as you can.
00:18:36So you're on OnlyFans.
00:18:38Can you remember
00:18:38when you started to hear
00:18:39about the OnlyFans
00:18:41managers side of stuff?
00:18:43Yeah, I mean,
00:18:44you get so many messages
00:18:46for different managers.
00:18:48Like, oh,
00:18:49I can help you
00:18:50gain this much income,
00:18:52but it were more,
00:18:53the way they worded it,
00:18:54and it was more,
00:18:55you know,
00:18:55I can make you
00:18:57ten grand in a week
00:18:59or whatever it were.
00:19:00Did they make you
00:19:01sign any kind of contracts?
00:19:03Did they have agreements
00:19:04or anything like that?
00:19:06So I was sent this contract
00:19:07when I first
00:19:09signed up with them.
00:19:11Yeah, I'm really intrigued
00:19:12to know the types of things
00:19:14that they say
00:19:14they're going to offer you.
00:19:17The model will not discuss
00:19:18their commission rates
00:19:19and or payment terms
00:19:20with anyone
00:19:21excluding the agency.
00:19:22How much were they taking?
00:19:24They do take 50%
00:19:25of your money.
00:19:26So not only have you got
00:19:28OnlyFans taking 20%,
00:19:30you've then got to split
00:19:31that other half
00:19:32with your management.
00:19:33You have regular check-ins
00:19:35with them
00:19:36about account growth.
00:19:38They'll advise you
00:19:39on the types of content
00:19:40to be posting
00:19:41and be responding constantly
00:19:43to customers
00:19:44to give them
00:19:44whatever they want.
00:19:45Yeah.
00:19:45It's talking about
00:19:46being in constant communication
00:19:47with each other.
00:19:49You have to get back
00:19:50within 24 hours.
00:19:52And it also says about
00:19:56if a customer
00:19:57wants custom content,
00:19:59so they're asking
00:20:00specifically for something
00:20:01from you.
00:20:01You have to fulfill
00:20:02that request
00:20:03within 24 hours.
00:20:04And that's where
00:20:05they've told me
00:20:06to do the explicit content.
00:20:08I told him, like,
00:20:09you know,
00:20:09would you be alright
00:20:10taking me if I didn't
00:20:11do any sort of explicit?
00:20:13But they were like,
00:20:14that's fine.
00:20:14That's fine, Leanne.
00:20:15Like, we're hoping to do that,
00:20:16whatever you're comfortable with.
00:20:18Then I'd get, like,
00:20:19a message.
00:20:20Then I'd get another message.
00:20:22I just kept saying no, no.
00:20:23And then they sent me a message
00:20:26and I just went,
00:20:27right, I tell you what,
00:20:28I'm going to do a video
00:20:29and I want an agreement
00:20:30that this does not get sold
00:20:32for any less than $250.
00:20:34And they were like,
00:20:34yeah, that's fine, that's fine.
00:20:37Do you mind me asking
00:20:38what you did?
00:20:39Like a full explicit video.
00:20:42Like, like masturbation
00:20:43type of thing?
00:20:44Mm-hmm.
00:20:46So I did a video.
00:20:48I felt physically sick.
00:20:49I just threw it to him.
00:20:50I said, I ain't even watched yet.
00:20:52I'm like, just sell that
00:20:53and do not sell it
00:20:54for any less than $250.
00:20:56And it would just kind of
00:20:58sell it, just shut him up.
00:21:01And I remember waking up,
00:21:02I think it were two days after,
00:21:04and seeing two pings on my phone.
00:21:06And I thought, $36?
00:21:08So I went on
00:21:09and the two people
00:21:11had bought it for $36.
00:21:13And I honestly, I just,
00:21:15I cried, I messaged him.
00:21:17I said, like,
00:21:18you've sold it for $36.
00:21:19The agreement wore $250.
00:21:22And they just went,
00:21:24we don't think
00:21:24it's going to be suitable
00:21:25working with you.
00:21:26Like, we don't,
00:21:27we don't think
00:21:27we're really going to benefit off you.
00:21:29What did that do to you?
00:21:31You know, what does that do
00:21:32to your thoughts
00:21:32when you've pushed yourself
00:21:34in a way you haven't wanted to,
00:21:36done something with your body
00:21:38you didn't feel comfortable to do,
00:21:40and then it sold for
00:21:42just like 30 quid?
00:21:48Honestly, it just made me feel
00:21:49so disgusting,
00:21:50so degraded, and...
00:21:57Leanne later shared
00:21:59her UK agency contract with me.
00:22:02Her agency demanded
00:22:03a significant amount of control.
00:22:08Give us login access
00:22:09to your account
00:22:10and allow us to change
00:22:12the email address
00:22:13to allow us to log in
00:22:14and respond to fans.
00:22:17And for every piece
00:22:18of visual content
00:22:20Leanne produced,
00:22:21the agency took a 50% cut.
00:22:25We found high commission rates
00:22:27were almost standard
00:22:29across OFM operations.
00:22:31It was part of their playbook.
00:22:34Don't go below 50-50 revenue split.
00:22:37If your model makes $2,000 a month,
00:22:39that's $1,000 for her
00:22:40and $1,000 for you.
00:22:42Other models shared
00:22:44their contracts with us
00:22:45and they showed even higher cuts,
00:22:48sometimes up to 70%.
00:22:52Some agencies even used
00:22:55the OnlyFans logo
00:22:56to advertise their services.
00:22:59This raised a simple question.
00:23:01Did OnlyFans know
00:23:03about these managers at all?
00:23:05Because on their website,
00:23:08it stated...
00:23:10The fan acknowledges
00:23:11that third parties
00:23:12may assist creators
00:23:13in operating their accounts
00:23:15and in creator interactions.
00:23:21Despite not wanting
00:23:22to appear on camera,
00:23:24some creators
00:23:25sent us voice notes
00:23:26describing their experiences
00:23:28with third-party managers.
00:23:31Management would lie about earnings
00:23:33and take more money
00:23:34than they should.
00:23:35He said he was taking 30%,
00:23:37but he was actually taking 70%.
00:23:39He changed my bank details
00:23:41so all the money
00:23:42was going to him.
00:23:45I could never log in
00:23:46to my OnlyFans account
00:23:47as they changed my passwords.
00:23:48I also didn't get a penny
00:23:50for any of the work I did.
00:23:52He pressured me
00:23:53into doing things
00:23:54I didn't want to do.
00:23:57One creator sent me
00:23:59a voice note
00:23:59describing her experience
00:24:01after she challenged
00:24:03her manager.
00:24:04I just wanted to drop
00:24:05the percentage
00:24:06as I was paying
00:24:07around 40% at the time.
00:24:09And I was thinking,
00:24:10why am I paying this man
00:24:11so much money?
00:24:12I said, hey,
00:24:13I'm not happy
00:24:13with my percentage.
00:24:14He told me that
00:24:15if you want to drop
00:24:16the percentage,
00:24:17I have to pay him
00:24:17£10,000
00:24:18because of how much time
00:24:19and effort
00:24:20he's put into me.
00:24:21I said, no,
00:24:22I'm not going to pay you
00:24:23£10,000.
00:24:24I'm just going to leave.
00:24:26And that's when it got into
00:24:27you're going to get
00:24:28what's coming to you.
00:24:29Just you wait.
00:24:50We consulted lawyers
00:24:52and human rights experts
00:24:54to examine
00:24:55the creator management
00:24:57practices we'd uncovered.
00:24:58I've sent you over
00:25:00some of these contracts
00:25:01that creators have shown me.
00:25:03What's your thoughts
00:25:04on some of them?
00:25:05This isn't really
00:25:06a fair contract situation
00:25:08at all.
00:25:09It's more like deception.
00:25:12When the creators
00:25:13don't even know
00:25:14what their true earnings are,
00:25:17being locked out
00:25:18of their accounts
00:25:19so that they didn't
00:25:20have control,
00:25:21being required
00:25:22to create scenes
00:25:23within 24 hours,
00:25:25it creates an awful lot
00:25:27of pressure.
00:25:27They're taking advantage
00:25:28of the content creators,
00:25:30which is almost placing
00:25:31these content creators
00:25:33in servitude
00:25:34to the agents
00:25:36and agencies,
00:25:37trapped in a contract
00:25:38which is unfair.
00:25:40The contracts
00:25:41are concerning
00:25:42and they seem to be
00:25:43the first step
00:25:45in the road
00:25:46to exploiting creators.
00:25:52behind closed doors,
00:25:55a further set of tactics
00:25:56by OnlyFans managers
00:25:58started to emerge.
00:25:59Working with the team,
00:26:01we embedded ourselves
00:26:03in one of the largest
00:26:04private Telegram group chats,
00:26:07OFM Empire.
00:26:08With more than 24,000 members,
00:26:12it was here
00:26:13when they thought
00:26:14no one was watching
00:26:15that they revealed
00:26:17their tips
00:26:18on how to control creators.
00:26:40The pattern seems to be
00:26:41unfair payment,
00:26:43unfair commission splits
00:26:44or coercion control,
00:26:46locking models
00:26:47out of their accounts,
00:26:48locking them out
00:26:48of their banking apps.
00:26:50So the total number
00:26:52of messages
00:26:52in this group chat
00:26:54is somewhere around
00:26:55300,000.
00:26:57This query that I ran
00:26:59was to see
00:27:00if I could find messages
00:27:01about managers
00:27:04changing passwords
00:27:05to models' accounts.
00:27:06In a lot of cases,
00:27:07they're doing that
00:27:08because they don't want
00:27:08the models to see
00:27:10how much money
00:27:10the account is making
00:27:11so that they can take
00:27:13an unfair cut
00:27:14of the profits.
00:27:16Did they kind of like
00:27:17egg each other on?
00:27:18It seems like
00:27:19the majority of people
00:27:22are pretty in favour
00:27:23of using those methods.
00:27:34It seems like the majority
00:27:36of people are pretty in favour
00:27:39of using those methods.
00:27:49one creator we spoke to
00:27:51revealed another side
00:27:52to the story.
00:28:01She agreed to share
00:28:03her experience with me
00:28:04for the first time.
00:28:08Rebecca had started
00:28:10working on OnlyFans
00:28:11last year.
00:28:19I was introduced
00:28:20to one agency
00:28:23who another friend
00:28:25of mine was with.
00:28:28They were lovely at the beginning.
00:28:30Oh, you're so beautiful.
00:28:31We've never seen a girl
00:28:32like you before.
00:28:33You've got potential
00:28:34to make so much money.
00:28:37They'd first offered me
00:28:4130-70% of the cut.
00:28:43So they were getting 30%.
00:28:44I'd get 70%.
00:28:45And then they'd changed
00:28:47their mind
00:28:47that it was 50-50.
00:28:50And then within a few weeks,
00:28:53whatever I was sending in,
00:28:55they would start saying
00:28:56that I looked like shit
00:28:57in those exact words.
00:29:00And then, you know,
00:29:01they'd just start being
00:29:02quite abusive,
00:29:03quite controlling.
00:29:05If I wanted to go
00:29:05for a night out
00:29:06with the girls,
00:29:07I wasn't allowed
00:29:07to go for a night
00:29:08out with the girls
00:29:08because if I'd been drinking,
00:29:10I wouldn't be able
00:29:10to put in the work
00:29:11the next day.
00:29:12If I wanted to go away
00:29:14for a weekend,
00:29:15couldn't do that
00:29:15because they didn't
00:29:16like me doing that.
00:29:17Literally controlling
00:29:18your life
00:29:19and telling you
00:29:19where and what
00:29:20you can and can't do.
00:29:21Yeah.
00:29:22They'd even tried
00:29:23talking me into
00:29:26escorting and...
00:29:27as in they tried
00:29:28to get you to do
00:29:28in-real-life sex work?
00:29:30Yes.
00:29:30And I'd said no
00:29:32and then they tried
00:29:34telling me
00:29:35how much good money
00:29:36I would make from it.
00:29:37And then they had
00:29:40blocked one of the other girls
00:29:41out of their account
00:29:43and she'd phoned me up crying.
00:29:45She was in hysterics.
00:29:46She was like,
00:29:46I don't know what to do.
00:29:47I've got so much money in there.
00:29:49And they blocked me out.
00:29:50So I'd gone straight
00:29:52onto my accounts,
00:29:53changed my passwords,
00:29:54blocked them out.
00:29:55How did that go down
00:29:57with them?
00:29:58For me doing that,
00:29:59it just escalated
00:30:01massively.
00:30:03There was a lot
00:30:04of verbal
00:30:05about phone calls.
00:30:08I've actually got
00:30:09messages.
00:30:10You're sending me
00:30:11my own address,
00:30:13telling me
00:30:14who's going to
00:30:14swing me and my daughter
00:30:16around by your hair,
00:30:18telling me
00:30:19that they're going
00:30:19to have me
00:30:19and my daughter.
00:30:21He's messaging you.
00:30:22We'll have you
00:30:24and your daughter
00:30:25wrote off.
00:30:25Yeah.
00:30:27Cheeky,
00:30:28kind of watch your lips
00:30:29before things get serious.
00:30:32Wonder why
00:30:33you're a single mother.
00:30:35Yeah.
00:30:38See you soon,
00:30:39whore.
00:30:41We have got
00:30:41everything I need.
00:30:46So after all
00:30:47these messages,
00:30:48it had gone quiet
00:30:49for a couple of days
00:30:50and then
00:30:51I heard
00:30:52a massive smash
00:30:54and I was like,
00:30:54well,
00:30:55what the hell
00:30:55was that?
00:30:56And it seemed
00:30:57that my window
00:30:58had been smashed in.
00:31:00So I contacted
00:31:01the police
00:31:01straight away.
00:31:02Police came out.
00:31:04They took
00:31:04the brick
00:31:05for forensics.
00:31:07They went around
00:31:08and asked
00:31:08for CCTV
00:31:09but there was
00:31:10no CCTV.
00:31:12And did you
00:31:13tell the police
00:31:14that you thought
00:31:14it was
00:31:15these OnlyFans guys?
00:31:16No.
00:31:17I was too scared
00:31:17to say anything,
00:31:19to say any names.
00:31:20And within
00:31:21two weeks,
00:31:23I then had
00:31:24two masked men
00:31:25come to my house
00:31:26and attack me.
00:31:31I heard somebody
00:31:32come through the door
00:31:33and they just
00:31:33strangled me.
00:31:34I didn't know
00:31:35what was happening.
00:31:36And they were on top
00:31:37of me strangling me
00:31:38and I just tried
00:31:39getting my phone
00:31:40to ring somebody
00:31:40because I thought
00:31:41this is it.
00:31:43And then they just
00:31:44stopped.
00:31:44After they just
00:31:45proved their point,
00:31:46they just stopped
00:31:46and left.
00:31:48Yeah, so that
00:31:49was my neck.
00:31:50And then,
00:31:51yeah, there were
00:31:52just all my bruises
00:31:53all over me.
00:31:53Look at the amount
00:31:54of legs.
00:31:55You're literally
00:31:56covered in bruises
00:31:57all over your legs.
00:32:00I think that was
00:32:01from throwing me
00:32:02up and down the stairs.
00:32:05The strangling
00:32:06was probably
00:32:07the worst.
00:32:09Because your little
00:32:10girl must have
00:32:10been going
00:32:10through your mind
00:32:11as well.
00:32:11Yeah.
00:32:13That's another reason
00:32:14why I think
00:32:15it was the agency
00:32:16because they knew
00:32:17when my daughter
00:32:18wasn't here
00:32:19and when she was
00:32:20here.
00:32:21And on the both
00:32:21times when my windows
00:32:23got put in
00:32:24and when they
00:32:24attacked me,
00:32:25she wasn't here
00:32:26because it was
00:32:27on the night
00:32:27I don't have it.
00:32:28So it was like
00:32:29they kind of
00:32:30planned it.
00:32:31Do you know
00:32:32what these guys
00:32:32are doing now
00:32:33then?
00:32:33Are they still
00:32:34operating?
00:32:34I think so,
00:32:35yeah.
00:32:36From what I know
00:32:37they are managing
00:32:39another girl's
00:32:40account still.
00:32:41Did you reach out
00:32:42to OnlyFans?
00:32:43To be honest,
00:32:44I didn't think
00:32:44I could.
00:32:45I thought
00:32:46because I'd
00:32:47taken the agency
00:32:47on off my own
00:32:48back,
00:32:49I did everything
00:32:50myself.
00:32:51I didn't know
00:32:52that something like
00:32:53that could have
00:32:53been an option
00:32:54with OnlyFans.
00:32:59We know that
00:33:00the majority of
00:33:01adults look at
00:33:01adult content
00:33:02online.
00:33:03Wouldn't it be
00:33:03nice if that
00:33:04content was
00:33:05consensual,
00:33:06ethical,
00:33:07directly monetized,
00:33:09monitored,
00:33:10and was made
00:33:10in a safe way
00:33:11and so that
00:33:12then as a fan
00:33:13you can be like
00:33:13I'm making an
00:33:14ethical choice
00:33:15in choosing
00:33:16to engage
00:33:16with adult content
00:33:17in this way.
00:33:19Rebecca joined
00:33:20OnlyFans believing
00:33:21it would protect
00:33:23greater independence
00:33:24and safety.
00:33:26Instead,
00:33:27hers became
00:33:27the most horrifying
00:33:29story I'd heard.
00:33:30The telegram messages
00:33:32we'd seen
00:33:33in OFM Empire
00:33:34weren't just talk.
00:33:36Craters were facing
00:33:37violence
00:33:38and intimidation.
00:33:40Extreme advice
00:33:41was being carried out
00:33:42in real life.
00:34:06When I listen to creators
00:34:07it feels like
00:34:08they're almost trapped
00:34:09in this web.
00:34:10Everything from
00:34:11harassment
00:34:12to serious offenses
00:34:13of violence
00:34:14particularly when
00:34:15creators attempt
00:34:16to leave.
00:34:16How serious
00:34:17do you think
00:34:17that that is?
00:34:19What struck me
00:34:20the most
00:34:20is how systematic
00:34:21it is.
00:34:23This isn't isolated
00:34:24bad behavior
00:34:25by just a few managers.
00:34:27There's coercion,
00:34:29deception
00:34:29and potentially
00:34:30human trafficking.
00:34:32Managers are
00:34:33conducting
00:34:34potentially criminal
00:34:36behavior
00:34:36on a wide scale.
00:34:38When it comes
00:34:39to modern slavery
00:34:40and exploitation
00:34:41one of the indicators
00:34:43of risk
00:34:44is third party control.
00:34:46When there's
00:34:47third party control
00:34:48we don't actually
00:34:49know
00:34:49who is controlling
00:34:51the account.
00:34:52We don't know
00:34:53what pressure
00:34:53is going on
00:34:54offline
00:34:55what they're being
00:34:55forced to do.
00:34:56We've seen
00:34:57physical violence
00:34:58against people
00:34:59we've seen harassment
00:35:00there were threats
00:35:01there was coercion
00:35:02taking an individual
00:35:04turning them
00:35:05into a commodity
00:35:06for the sole purposes
00:35:07of making money
00:35:07take that
00:35:08as a whole
00:35:09and we would say
00:35:10that is a pattern
00:35:12of trafficking
00:35:13of modern slavery.
00:35:16Modern slavery
00:35:18rarely presents
00:35:20as a single act.
00:35:21It's often revealed
00:35:22through a pattern
00:35:23of abuse
00:35:24deception
00:35:25coercion
00:35:27threats
00:35:27financial control
00:35:29and exploitation.
00:35:31When these factors
00:35:32are seen together
00:35:33they may indicate
00:35:34forced labor
00:35:35servitude
00:35:36or human trafficking
00:35:38and might constitute
00:35:40serious criminal offenses
00:35:42under English law.
00:36:08to many observers
00:36:12OnlyFans appeared
00:36:13to be a British tech
00:36:15success story.
00:36:16For us
00:36:16it's actually
00:36:17that we've paid out
00:36:1725 billion to creators
00:36:19since 2016
00:36:21so there's not
00:36:22very many tech companies
00:36:23that can talk about
00:36:24creating wealth
00:36:25for others
00:36:25rather than
00:36:27just profiteering.
00:36:29It had become
00:36:30a highly profitable
00:36:32phenomenon.
00:36:33The platform
00:36:34was now making
00:36:35around a billion
00:36:36pounds annually.
00:36:39But while the top creators
00:36:40can make
00:36:41thousands a month
00:36:42on average
00:36:43most people
00:36:44reportedly earn
00:36:45nearer to
00:36:461,300 pounds
00:36:47a year.
00:36:56I was back
00:36:57in Manchester
00:36:58to meet Gia
00:36:59along with
00:37:00another top
00:37:01OnlyFans creator
00:37:02Lily Phillips.
00:37:03My name is
00:37:04Jordan Smith
00:37:05and I'm your host
00:37:06and today
00:37:06we're the very famous
00:37:08Lily Phillips.
00:37:09Very famous,
00:37:10I like that.
00:37:11How did you start
00:37:12Korn?
00:37:13So I wanted to hear
00:37:14from those
00:37:14at the very top
00:37:16of the platform
00:37:16to understand
00:37:18how they protect
00:37:19themselves
00:37:20against rogue managers.
00:37:25Hello.
00:37:26How are you?
00:37:27Nice to see you.
00:37:28Nice to see you again.
00:37:30Have you been?
00:37:30It's been a while.
00:37:31I know it has.
00:37:32Oh, I'm good.
00:37:34The weather looks good.
00:37:36Hi.
00:37:36Nice to meet you.
00:37:37How are you?
00:37:38Nice to meet you.
00:37:39I'm Amber.
00:37:40Oh, thanks so much
00:37:41for coming.
00:37:41I've been very,
00:37:42very interested
00:37:43to meet you.
00:37:45So much of OnlyFans
00:37:47is about independence.
00:37:49It's about autonomy.
00:37:51It's about you
00:37:51having control
00:37:52over your own life
00:37:53and your income.
00:37:55But I just feel like
00:37:56from so much
00:37:57of what I've heard
00:37:57that are these kind of
00:37:59sharks and predators
00:38:00who want a bit of that.
00:38:03I have obviously
00:38:04heard the horror stories
00:38:05of girls signing up
00:38:06with agencies
00:38:07and feeling like
00:38:09they have to kind of
00:38:11always push out
00:38:12more and more
00:38:13or more content
00:38:14and they're being
00:38:14pressurised to do
00:38:15more extreme stuff
00:38:16or really just
00:38:19lose that independence.
00:38:20People realise
00:38:21how much money
00:38:23you can make
00:38:24from OnlyFans.
00:38:25So, you know,
00:38:25everyone wants
00:38:26the piece of the pie,
00:38:26especially men.
00:38:28Like, not to blame
00:38:29the men.
00:38:30But, you know,
00:38:31I do believe
00:38:33that they can be
00:38:33a little bit jealous
00:38:34of how we have
00:38:36gained independence
00:38:36and can earn
00:38:37so much money
00:38:39on sex work
00:38:40and they want
00:38:41their little peers.
00:38:42and I feel like
00:38:43the explosion
00:38:44of OnlyFans
00:38:44has kind of
00:38:45invited this.
00:38:46Like, do you think
00:38:47it's created
00:38:47this sort of
00:38:48ecosystem around it
00:38:49in some ways?
00:38:50I think in the
00:38:51adult industry
00:38:52there was always
00:38:52exploitation,
00:38:53like you mentioned
00:38:54earlier,
00:38:55in terms of, like,
00:38:56pimps or whatever
00:38:56you want to call them,
00:38:57the middleman.
00:38:58So, I don't think
00:38:59it's a new concept.
00:39:01I just think
00:39:02it's a newer platform.
00:39:03You know,
00:39:04you've been on
00:39:04platform five,
00:39:05six years now?
00:39:06I was 10 years.
00:39:07I was 10 years.
00:39:09when it first came.
00:39:10I know.
00:39:11And I do still love
00:39:12OnlyFans.
00:39:13It's definitely
00:39:13a lot more demanding
00:39:14now, but, like,
00:39:15when the platform
00:39:15first started,
00:39:17like,
00:39:18the agencies
00:39:19were never a thing.
00:39:20I don't think
00:39:20even OnlyFans
00:39:21expected it to blow
00:39:22up the way it has.
00:39:24But there's no
00:39:24kind of regulations
00:39:25to it,
00:39:26and I think
00:39:26that that is
00:39:27the dangerous space
00:39:28where vulnerable
00:39:28people can be
00:39:30taken advantage of.
00:39:32Yeah, and I do think,
00:39:33like, if there was
00:39:34some more regulations
00:39:35or, like,
00:39:37control around agencies,
00:39:39the concept
00:39:40is actually really good.
00:39:41It's just that
00:39:42there's too many
00:39:43unqualified people
00:39:44who are just thinking,
00:39:45like, okay,
00:39:46I'm going to do this
00:39:47and it's hard.
00:39:48Because there's no regulations,
00:39:49like, the models
00:39:50don't know who to trust.
00:39:52It's become
00:39:53this huge marketplace now.
00:39:55It is translating
00:39:56into real-world
00:39:57problems happening,
00:39:58like, people being threatened
00:39:59when they try to leave,
00:40:00whether that's
00:40:01I'm going to take you
00:40:01to court
00:40:02and, you know,
00:40:03frightening people
00:40:04from leaving
00:40:04to physically
00:40:05threatening people.
00:40:07Yeah.
00:40:07Oh, yeah.
00:40:08Which is, yeah,
00:40:09it's not just
00:40:10an online platform thing.
00:40:11It kind of has translated
00:40:12into the real world
00:40:14in a lot of ways.
00:40:15I think it's definitely
00:40:16something I've always
00:40:17thought about
00:40:18is, like,
00:40:18how can we help
00:40:19girls in the industry
00:40:20get more guidance
00:40:22and more regulations
00:40:23on it?
00:40:24But it's like,
00:40:24I don't really know
00:40:25where to then go
00:40:26with that idea.
00:40:28That's the awkward part.
00:40:29It's like, you know,
00:40:30especially as sex workers,
00:40:32like, people
00:40:32don't really take
00:40:33what we say seriously
00:40:35and, you know,
00:40:37they don't really
00:40:38acknowledge us
00:40:38as real humans
00:40:39sometimes,
00:40:40and so it's hard
00:40:41to get that trust
00:40:43of, like, you know,
00:40:44we need help
00:40:44and we need regulations
00:40:45in our industry,
00:40:47but people
00:40:48don't really care
00:40:49because they don't
00:40:49see us as human.
00:40:55OnlyFans have always
00:40:57said that safety
00:40:58was at the centre
00:41:00of their mission,
00:41:01something that was
00:41:03essential to how
00:41:04their business operated.
00:41:06In their policy,
00:41:08it stated,
00:41:09we are committed
00:41:11to building the safest
00:41:12digital media platform
00:41:13in the world.
00:41:14We're dedicated
00:41:16to delivering
00:41:16robust safeguards
00:41:17that prioritise
00:41:18the safety,
00:41:19privacy,
00:41:19and well-being
00:41:20of the whole
00:41:21OnlyFans community.
00:41:23Our subscription model
00:41:25makes it difficult
00:41:26for people to engage
00:41:27in modern slavery
00:41:28and human trafficking.
00:41:30But over time,
00:41:32something else
00:41:33appeared to have
00:41:34taken shape
00:41:34beneath that
00:41:35original vision.
00:41:37What we had uncovered
00:41:38suggested that
00:41:39management practices
00:41:40had fundamentally
00:41:41changed the amount
00:41:43of control
00:41:43some creators
00:41:44had over their content.
00:41:46You've come from
00:41:46being a partner
00:41:47of a law firm,
00:41:48joining,
00:41:48then rising the ranks
00:41:49very quickly
00:41:50to become CEO.
00:41:51How has that
00:41:51cyber mindset,
00:41:52how has that
00:41:53safeguard mindset
00:41:54infiltrated the very
00:41:55underlying technology
00:41:56of the business?
00:41:57I mean,
00:41:58ultimately,
00:41:59without the safety
00:41:59technology that we
00:42:00have in place,
00:42:01OnlyFans can't exist,
00:42:02right?
00:42:02So,
00:42:04as part of the
00:42:05content creator
00:42:06onboarding process,
00:42:07individuals have to
00:42:08go through
00:42:08a facial recognition
00:42:09piece whereby
00:42:10we match their age
00:42:11and identity
00:42:12to their face
00:42:13and a life likeness
00:42:14of themselves.
00:42:15We also check
00:42:16their social media
00:42:16accounts.
00:42:17We check that
00:42:17the bank account
00:42:18information is in
00:42:19their legal name.
00:42:22We spoke
00:42:23to multiple creators
00:42:25who said managers
00:42:27had gained access
00:42:28to their earnings.
00:42:30We also found
00:42:32messages in the
00:42:33OFM Empire
00:42:35telegram group
00:42:36where tactics
00:42:38were shared
00:42:39about how
00:42:39to get control
00:42:41of these payments.
00:42:43While OnlyFans
00:42:44has a two-factor
00:42:46authentication
00:42:46around account
00:42:47changes,
00:42:48including bank
00:42:49details,
00:42:50we wanted to test
00:42:52their payment system.
00:42:53So,
00:42:54I opened my own
00:42:55OnlyFans account
00:42:55because I wanted
00:42:57to check how
00:42:57strict OnlyFans
00:42:58verification systems
00:42:59are.
00:43:00So,
00:43:00I opened my
00:43:01account,
00:43:02I uploaded a photo
00:43:03and I registered
00:43:06a male colleague's
00:43:07banking details
00:43:08into it
00:43:08alongside my own
00:43:09name.
00:43:10So,
00:43:10you were able
00:43:11to use his
00:43:12account details
00:43:12on your OnlyFans
00:43:14platform?
00:43:14Yeah,
00:43:15exactly.
00:43:16And then I asked
00:43:17two colleagues
00:43:18to subscribe
00:43:18and after they
00:43:20paid,
00:43:20the money went
00:43:21straight to his
00:43:21account.
00:43:22So,
00:43:23OnlyFans paid
00:43:23out to him
00:43:24instead of you?
00:43:24Yeah.
00:43:26You would expect
00:43:27when they're
00:43:28dealing with
00:43:28such intimate
00:43:29content that
00:43:30their security
00:43:31measures around
00:43:31money and
00:43:32identifying who
00:43:33you are would
00:43:33be watertight
00:43:35because I think
00:43:36what we've just
00:43:36seen there,
00:43:37that the money
00:43:38can be redirected
00:43:39to somebody else
00:43:40is really quite
00:43:42shocking and raises
00:43:42some serious
00:43:43questions.
00:43:44People go to
00:43:44OnlyFans because
00:43:45they feel like
00:43:47it's a safe
00:43:47platform,
00:43:48they feel like
00:43:48it empowers
00:43:49them and
00:43:50OnlyFans does
00:43:51a great job in
00:43:52verifying the
00:43:53account holder so
00:43:54it's quite strange
00:43:55that they aren't
00:43:56also verifying
00:43:57where the money
00:43:58goes.
00:44:06OnlyFans as a
00:44:07platform spanned
00:44:09the world.
00:44:10My investigation
00:44:12had started with
00:44:13creators in the
00:44:14UK but there were
00:44:15problems in other
00:44:16countries.
00:44:19And it turned out
00:44:20we weren't the
00:44:21only ones asking
00:44:22questions.
00:44:23two data
00:44:25researchers in the
00:44:26Netherlands had
00:44:27been following the
00:44:28space since
00:44:29OFM emerged.
00:44:31They'd been
00:44:32watching OFM
00:44:33across multiple
00:44:34social media
00:44:35platforms,
00:44:36tracking the
00:44:36evolution of
00:44:38this private
00:44:38digital ecosystem.
00:44:40I went to meet
00:44:41them to see what
00:44:43they'd found.
00:44:43good to meet you.
00:44:45Have a seat.
00:44:49We are an
00:44:51investigation
00:44:51agency.
00:44:52We try to help
00:44:53organisations
00:44:55specifically if it's
00:44:57about fighting crime.
00:44:58So you guys here
00:45:00investigate crime in
00:45:01the online space.
00:45:03I'm just interested in
00:45:04why from the early
00:45:07stage OnlyFans hit
00:45:08your radar.
00:45:09We've worked in the
00:45:11human trafficking
00:45:11field before and the
00:45:14second we dove into
00:45:15these chats we saw
00:45:17evidence of threats,
00:45:19we saw evidence of
00:45:20hacking and of
00:45:23trafficking.
00:45:25So talk me through
00:45:26the patterns that
00:45:27you've started to see
00:45:28in some of these
00:45:28groups across these
00:45:29past few years when
00:45:30you've been looking
00:45:30into OnlyFans.
00:45:32We found lots and
00:45:33lots of data, lots
00:45:34of conversation where
00:45:35things were being
00:45:37discussed.
00:45:37even more than the
00:45:39dark web or anything
00:45:40like that.
00:45:41We've seen examples
00:45:42that they actually
00:45:43trade their models
00:45:45to one another.
00:45:47Yeah, we saw some
00:45:48models that were being
00:45:50sold for like $2,000
00:45:51for example.
00:45:52And when you buy a
00:45:54model you get a model
00:45:55purchase sheet.
00:45:56So they are trading
00:45:57real women like this
00:45:58in a casual
00:45:59telegram chart.
00:46:01Yeah, they're selling
00:46:01them to each other.
00:46:03So when you buy the
00:46:04model you basically buy
00:46:06a contract with the
00:46:07model and you
00:46:07you buy pictures and
00:46:10content of that model.
00:46:13So you basically buy
00:46:14a lot of material.
00:46:16And one of the things
00:46:17mentioned in that is
00:46:18that you're not supposed
00:46:19to tell the model that
00:46:20she's been sold or that
00:46:21you bought her.
00:46:23Could just literally sound
00:46:24like you were buying a
00:46:26TV.
00:46:26Yeah, exactly.
00:46:27Yeah, it's like that.
00:46:29It's a product.
00:46:30Yeah.
00:46:30So that's really
00:46:32human trafficking.
00:46:34Yeah.
00:46:35I was wondering about
00:46:37the kinds of men that
00:46:38you're seeing in some of
00:46:39these groups.
00:46:39So I'm from Manchester
00:46:40in the UK.
00:46:41It's kind of being called
00:46:43a bit of a hotspot for
00:46:44OnlyFans now.
00:46:45Are there a lot of British
00:46:46guys in these groups?
00:46:48Some people were saying
00:46:50that they were based in
00:46:51the UK.
00:46:52Some people were saying
00:46:53that they're based in
00:46:53London.
00:46:54For example, we saw some
00:46:56cities being mentioned.
00:46:57So Liverpool, Manchester,
00:46:58these were mentioned as
00:47:00well.
00:47:00And as for other
00:47:02countries, the most
00:47:04commonly used ones were
00:47:05the US.
00:47:07And then there were some
00:47:08in Brazil.
00:47:09And then, yeah, Europe.
00:47:14It's easy to look at
00:47:15these men, these young
00:47:17boys, and think they are
00:47:21just ridiculous.
00:47:22It's important that we
00:47:23don't underestimate them.
00:47:26OnlyFans are aware of
00:47:27these things that you've
00:47:28found about managers in
00:47:29these groups.
00:47:30It's hard to mention that
00:47:31they're not aware of it,
00:47:33just considering the
00:47:34number of models who
00:47:35spoke out about it, and
00:47:37the number of reports
00:47:39that have been published
00:47:40about it as well.
00:47:42However, we've seen no
00:47:44attempt so far to actually
00:47:46ban management, or to
00:47:49ban these contracts, or
00:47:50to regulate it in a
00:47:52different way.
00:48:00And he did to know if
00:48:02there were any other
00:48:03reports about OFM.
00:48:04What did OnlyFans know
00:48:07about this exploitative
00:48:08web?
00:48:09And how had this half-hidden
00:48:11system been allowed to
00:48:13spread across the world?
00:48:15The first report of
00:48:16exploitative practices by
00:48:18management agencies surfaced
00:48:20in Los Angeles in 2021.
00:48:23Six creators told the
00:48:25publication BuzzFeed News
00:48:27that they had struggled to
00:48:28get out of contracts with
00:48:29LA-based agencies.
00:48:32Rolling Stone ran a piece
00:48:34in 2022 that reported
00:48:36managers were taking 60 to
00:48:3870% of a creator's income
00:48:40and rerouted payments to the
00:48:42agency's bank account.
00:48:44OnlyFans had responded to
00:48:45this report saying,
00:48:55In May 2022, the New York
00:48:58Times ran a story on
00:48:59managers controlling
00:49:00creators' accounts, to
00:49:02which OnlyFans responded
00:49:03with,
00:49:04A creator might employ an
00:49:06agent, agency, management
00:49:08company, or other third
00:49:09party to help run her
00:49:11account.
00:49:12Nothing in the rules
00:49:13explicitly requires that a
00:49:15creator disclose such an
00:49:17arrangement.
00:49:18In July 2024, another
00:49:20article in Le Monde
00:49:22investigated OFM and
00:49:24argued that they operated
00:49:25like a digital pimping
00:49:27network.
00:49:28OnlyFans declined to
00:49:30comment.
00:49:30In 2023, Romanian
00:49:33prosecutors investigating
00:49:35Andrew Tate alleged women
00:49:37were pressured into
00:49:39creating OnlyFans
00:49:40content, under threats
00:49:41such as break your teeth
00:49:43and you'll end up in the
00:49:45morgue.
00:49:46They denied the charges.
00:49:48Reuters investigated
00:49:50OnlyFans managers in the
00:49:51US, publishing their
00:49:53findings in November
00:49:542024, citing cases where
00:49:57they claimed trafficking,
00:49:59coercion, and
00:50:01exploitation had taken
00:50:02place.
00:50:03OnlyFans did not
00:50:05comment.
00:50:05All of this showed that
00:50:07OnlyFans as a company knew
00:50:09about the potential risk of
00:50:11harm to creators for at
00:50:13least four years.
00:50:14But it wasn't clear what
00:50:16specific steps had been
00:50:17taken to address it.
00:50:21Where does the
00:50:23responsibility of a
00:50:24platform end?
00:50:26And if your business
00:50:27model is about I'm aware of
00:50:29this wider ecosystem, but I'm
00:50:32saying I only have
00:50:33responsibility for the
00:50:34technology and for the
00:50:35platform, but my profits are
00:50:38driven by this ecosystem,
00:50:40then I think it's one for the
00:50:41lawyers to say, actually, is
00:50:43it one single ecosystem?
00:50:45And then you have to say,
00:50:47okay, so what is the
00:50:48defense?
00:50:48I think given the evidence I've
00:50:51seen and the law which is
00:50:54developing in this area, it's
00:50:55only a matter of time before
00:50:58OnlyFans faces claims of
00:51:01negligence from creators who
00:51:04have suffered harm because of the
00:51:07systems and the ecosystems which
00:51:09OnlyFans has created.
00:51:13I'm hearing that you think
00:51:14OnlyFans should have checks in
00:51:16place when it comes to creators
00:51:17using management.
00:51:18Why aren't they doing it then?
00:51:21Look, these are businesses.
00:51:22And first and foremost, they're
00:51:23about making money.
00:51:25And so they will design things
00:51:27that will maximize the profit on
00:51:31that.
00:51:31And this is where you need
00:51:32regulation and this is where you
00:51:33need laws.
00:51:34That defense of, well, we're only a
00:51:36platform, we didn't really know
00:51:37that this was being used for this,
00:51:38is becoming a sort of legally
00:51:41untenable position to hold.
00:51:45OnlyFans is estimated to be worth
00:51:48around £2.3 billion.
00:51:51They say they pay more in UK tax
00:51:54than the entire British fishing
00:51:56industry.
00:51:58The more I learned, the more I
00:52:00found myself wondering how
00:52:02exploitation could flourish alongside
00:52:05one of Britain's most lucrative
00:52:07tech companies.
00:52:10OnlyFans is a social media platform,
00:52:12just like those you use already.
00:52:15OnlyFans launched quietly in 2016
00:52:17before taking off during the
00:52:19pandemic in 2020.
00:52:21It's a British website that's
00:52:23boomed during the pandemic.
00:52:24Of money is literally the best
00:52:26Corsum community in the OFM space.
00:52:28This was the same year legitimate
00:52:30management agencies began to appear,
00:52:33growing alongside the platform itself.
00:52:35And as I actually have my own agency
00:52:37that I've never even spoken to.
00:52:38What struck me was how some of these businesses,
00:52:41even legitimate ones,
00:52:43overlapped a subculture that was
00:52:44reshaping masculinity.
00:52:46One built around clicks, cash,
00:52:49and the commodification of women.
00:52:51But if agencies increased creators' earnings,
00:52:55OnlyFans benefited too,
00:52:57as they took a 20% cut of every payment made by fans.
00:53:02Were managers actually good for business?
00:53:14A private thread between a content creator
00:53:17and OnlyFans had been forwarded to us.
00:53:20I went to meet up with one of the producers
00:53:23to go through them in more detail.
00:53:25So we just got an email through,
00:53:27and it's from an OnlyFans writer called Riley.
00:53:31And in this email in 2024,
00:53:35she said to them that there are people running agencies
00:53:38that are now buying and selling women
00:53:40to control on OnlyFans.
00:53:42The tactics of these groups consistently
00:53:44grow more and more exploitative.
00:53:46Some of these women are being sex trafficked physically
00:53:49and not just online.
00:53:51So OnlyFans did actually reply.
00:53:54They said a kind of standard response,
00:53:56thank you for contacting OnlyFans,
00:53:58we're currently reviewing your case
00:53:59and we'll get back to you.
00:54:01And then they sent another email to say,
00:54:05we need additional details to investigate this case.
00:54:08So Riley's got back to OnlyFans.
00:54:12They sent them a link to OFM Empire.
00:54:15Yeah.
00:54:16Riley says,
00:54:17there's hundreds of these poor girls
00:54:18with some being sold with contracts
00:54:20giving the creator as little as 20% of their income.
00:54:23I mean, she's been pretty courageous here.
00:54:27You know, some pretty good evidence there.
00:54:30We were really shocked actually
00:54:32that they sent a pretty generic response saying,
00:54:35thank you for your concern and cooperation.
00:54:37However, unfortunately at this time,
00:54:39the provided evidence is not enough
00:54:40to influence the activity of these agencies
00:54:42outside our platform.
00:54:45So essentially what they're saying is,
00:54:46is that this is out of our scope,
00:54:49it's off our platform
00:54:50and unless you tell us who has been affected by it,
00:54:54there's nothing that we can do.
00:54:55So is it that's all they said back to her after that?
00:54:57There's been no follow-up at all.
00:55:00They've kind of just let the situation lie as it is.
00:55:04So while we can't say what they did internally,
00:55:09we do know that the outcome is nothing.
00:55:15One, slavery and human trafficking is illegal.
00:55:19It can end up with a lifetime sentence in prison.
00:55:22So I am alarmed that someone has reported to OnlyFans
00:55:26that there's sex trafficking going on on these sites,
00:55:30signposted to evidence that that's happening,
00:55:33and OnlyFans has responded saying,
00:55:36there's nothing we can do about it.
00:55:40To me, it would say
00:55:42that they're not taking this matter sufficiently seriously
00:55:44or at worst, turning a blind eye.
00:55:48Why would they be turning a blind eye to her?
00:55:53Acting on these types of complaints
00:55:55and taking action against these agents and agencies
00:55:58is going to cut into their bottom line.
00:56:00So why would they tolerate this for any other reason
00:56:03other than to preserve their bottom line and income stream?
00:56:10Technological change has reshaped our world,
00:56:13but it has also created new opportunities
00:56:15for sexual exploitation
00:56:16to proliferate on a scale we have never seen before
00:56:20because our legislation has not kept pace
00:56:23and is not capable of keeping pace.
00:56:26We gave our findings to Tonya Antoniazzi.
00:56:30She's the chair of an all-party parliamentary group
00:56:33on commercial sexual exploitation
00:56:35and one of Parliament's most outspoken voices on this issue.
00:56:41Do you think OnlyFans have broken any laws?
00:56:43I think those laws that are being broken
00:56:46are hiding behind a paywall
00:56:48and they choose not to see it
00:56:51because they have got a lot of money,
00:56:54they are very powerful,
00:56:55and they are showing
00:56:56that they are this fun, empowering social media platform
00:57:01and they think it's OK.
00:57:04But it isn't.
00:57:05And your evidence has shown that it isn't.
00:57:08This is like the biggest pimpin' website that exists.
00:57:13We've seen online platforms just move at great speed.
00:57:18They are exploiting that.
00:57:19They need to be held to account.
00:57:21OnlyFans are a British company, aren't they?
00:57:23So that means that they are answerable to you as a government.
00:57:27Do you think at the back of this stuff that we've found
00:57:29we need to be asking them new and different questions?
00:57:33We need to be looking at this in government.
00:57:35I would like to see the select committee
00:57:38look at OnlyFans as it is,
00:57:42as it stands now,
00:57:44and create legislation around this area
00:57:47because it's a whole new world.
00:57:50And we don't.
00:57:54I don't.
00:58:22Definitely no sign there.
00:58:28I've come to this address, which is listed online as their headquarters here in London, all these people walking past
00:58:34would have no clue that they were bases, no sign, no nothing. And this is how they've operated for so
00:58:40long. It's all this content behind paywalls, it's all hidden. And that's how these managers have kind of come in
00:58:47and filled that gap.
00:58:48And when I think about all these people I've met around this country who have been abused, harassed, this company
00:58:56has real questions to answer.
00:58:59I think about all these people I've met around this country.
00:59:28I think about all these people I've met around this country.
00:59:58Well, you know, no luck with us.