Horror OnlyFans probe shows scale of alleged crimes against 100s of UK women

More than a thousand alleged crimes linked to OnlyFans have been reported to police over the last five years, a Mirror investigation has found.

They include at least ten cases of women claiming they are being forced to perform sex work on the seedy platform by their controlling partners. We’ve also found more than 70 complaints from victims of revenge porn who claim others are making money from sex tapes and photos posted on OnlyFans without consent. Some were allegedly secretly filmed and were being sold, often by former partners, for cash.

OnlyFans, which is owned by a British company, has grown to a £5bn a year industry, fuelled by DIY pornography and stunts of “creators” like Bonnie Blue and Lily Phillips. Through Freedom of Information Act requests, we found that police are being asked to investigate claims of rapes linked to the making of videos for the site, along with allegations of blackmail, stalking, harassment, child abuse material and threats of violence.

One alleged victim in South Yorkshire told officers that she had been strangled and raped by a partner who also set up an OnlyFans account where she says he forced her “to do sexual things on camera and he takes all the money”. A woman in West Mercia said she had been “emotionally and mentally abused” by her partner for 16 years, during which she says he “forced her to do an OnlyFans account” and controlled her money.

A third woman in Lincolnshire said her alleged abuser threatened to kill her and “forced” her to “have sex with other males for money and made her open an OnlyFans account for him to make money”. West Yorkshire Police revealed that one suspect has been charged following a complaint from an alleged victim that he “made her join OnlyFans”.

OnlyFans has revealed it has had nearly 180 legal requests from UK law enforcement in the last two years and a spokesperson told us: “OnlyFans works closely with law enforcement agencies around the world. Unlike other platforms, OnlyFans knows the legal identity of all its users so is uniquely placed to support investigations. This approach means OnlyFans is an extremely hostile environment for anyone seeking to abuse our platform.”

We asked every police force how many crimes had been reported to them which referred to OnlyFans. 38 out of 45 UK police forces responded and told us of 1,613 crime reports where the OnlyFans was recorded in the “modus operandi” – where officers record details of the crime. This includes some alleged crimes that cannot be directly linked to the site – the suspect may have only threatened to post material on OnlyFans or the crime report may have just noted that either the suspect or alleged victim is a user of the site.

27 forces provided us with some details of the individual crime reports and they paint a disturbing picture of the chaos connected to the rise of the platform which claims to have more than 4 million “creators” and over 300 million “fan” accounts. Lincolnshire Police were told that one “suspect has been making OnlyFans content with the victim but has gone beyond consent of the victim and raped her”. There were 21 reported rapes where OnlyFans was mentioned, including ten in Kent, where there had been six arrests and three charges. Two of the ten cases involved girls aged under 16.

There were more than a dozen cases which refer to involvement of under 18s using the OnlyFans in breach of site rules. West Mercia Police were told of claims that a 16-year-old girl was “posting indecent images of herself on social media sites (OnlyFans) and making money from subscribers”. Devon and Cornwall Police were told of a child who allegedly “created child porn with her partner on [the] OnlyFans website when she was 17”. OnlyFans CEO Keily Blair said in 2023: “We know the age and identity of everyone on our platform. No children allowed, nobody under 18 on the platform.”

We have found 77 crime reports where alleged victims say that sexual images or video have been shared on OnlyFans without their consent. Another 87 reports were from OnlyFans models complaining their own content has been leaked. It is likely that these cases are not criminal though they may cause distress and harm. One woman in an abusive relationship with a man who sexually assaulted and threatened to kill her, told Humberside Police that he also “posted her nudes on OnlyFans without her knowledge or consent”.
Another “controlling and coercive” suspect in Lancashire allegedly filmed his partner “without permission” while they were having sex and posted it on OnlyFans, “again without her permission”.

One victim in South Yorkshire said they spotted their ex-partner advertising their OnlyFans on social media. After subscribing to the account, they say they found a sex tape they had made being sold for £100 without permission. OnlyFans has said it tightened its procedures in 2020, requiring proof of consent from all who feature in explicit content.

From the limited information provided we identified 27 reports of alleged blackmail or sextortion, with either the OnlyFans model or the “fan” as alleged victim. One crime report identifies a female suspect in Cheshire who “uses” OnlyFans, “records the victim” and “then demands £10,000 from him and threatens to share the video if he refuses”. Another victim who exchanged naked pictures with an OnlyFans model claimed to West Yorkshire Police that she “has then threatened to disclose images online if the victim does not subscribe to her OnlyFans”.

We also found six cases of sex offenders using OnlyFans without notifying police, in breach of serious harm prevention orders or similar. There are alleged cases of stalking and harassment, such as an OnlyFans model who told Humberside Police that someone had delivered envelopes to her mother and neighbours with “Your Local Slag” written on them, containing explicit images from her OnlyFans. Police said there were “evidential difficulties”. Also in Humberside, a former OnlyFans model continued to be harassed by a “fan” demanding more photos. He allegedly told her “you are mine and you will do what I want, when I want”.

We were told the outcome of more than 1,250 reported crimes. 38 investigations were ongoing but just 52 – around 4% – resulted in someone being charged or summonsed. There were 20 police cautions and 16 cases which ended in a community resolution.
But more than three in five cases ran into “evidential difficulties”. The largest number, 30% of cases, ended with the suspect identified but the alleged victim not supporting police action. Three in ten cases were closed without a suspect being identified.

It appears that the number of crimes reported are increasing. From the forces which provided us with numbers of reported crimes each year, they had risen by 256% from 2020 to 2023, the most recent year available. A National Police Chiefs’ Council spokesperson said: “It’s important that victims understand that these are serious crimes and feel confident in reporting offences to the police so that action can be taken. Tech-enabled crimes continue to evolve at pace, and policing alone cannot keep people safe online.” They called for tech companies to be “held to account” and for “greater education for young people”.

Jess Phillips, Safeguarding Minister, said: “Our work to halve violence against women and girls in a decade is hugely important, which is exactly why we are cracking down on platforms providing safe haven for criminals online. We are working closely with law enforcement partners to protect those most vulnerable to this type of criminality, and we will not rest until preparators face the full force of the law for these heinous crimes.” Paula Bradbury of the Centre for Child Abuse and Trauma Studies at Middlesex University said: “Your findings will be a big wake-up call. Violence against women and girls is continuously rising and steps must be in place to prevent it.”

Comment by Elena Martellozzo and Paula Bradbury of the Centre for Child Abuse and Trauma Studies at Middlesex University:

OnlyFans is a gateway into the online sex industry for many. OnlyFans promotes itself as an empowering platform but some women—especially those who are young or financially vulnerable—may feel pressured into participating out of economic necessity. Financial desperation can push individuals into activities they might not otherwise choose, blurring the line between genuine consent and coercion.

In a traditional workplace, employees can negotiate their terms, set clear boundaries, and are protected by employment laws. However, in this context, creators may feel under relentless pressure to escalate their content beyond their comfort levels to satisfy their audience requests. Over time, this pressure can lead individuals to agree to things they initially resisted, sometimes resulting in an erosion of consent. The money is an incentive, especially if you don’t have any. The challenge to up and increase what you are doing, meet the requests of the subscribers for more money is always going to be very tempting, especially for young people.

Victims in situations like domestic abuse withdrawing their support from police investigations is not uncommon. There are many complex reasons for this but some relate to a fear of the consequences, retaliation and intimidation, for example. Sometimes, they might just want to put the fear into somebody by them being looked into and investigated as a way of getting that person to stop.

The process of going into the criminal justice system can also be very long, taking up to two years for something to go to court, for example. These wait times affect victim experiences and their sense of safety, and justice. A lack of evidence supporting their cases can also impede investigations. It’s hard to take action against unknown persons online who deliberately hide their identities. Stigma is also a major barrier—especially for those who wish to continue on the platform, as reporting abuse could damage their reputation within the community. It’s not surprising that many choose not to come forward.

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