OnlyFans creators who hire outside “managers” may be walking into something much darker than a bad contract. According to NetInfluencer‘s Dragomir Stojkov, a BBC investigation tied to the documentary OnlyFans: Inside the Machine found that so-called OFMs have threatened, controlled, and in some cases assaulted creators while taking as much as 70% of their earnings.
How the ecosystem works
The BBC spoke with 60 UK creators and reviewed a 24,000-member Telegram group called “OFM Empire,” where members traded tips on signing talent, seizing account control, and extracting profits. One user reportedly described the approach as the “pimp method.”
Creators described managers locking them out of accounts, rerouting payouts, and pressuring them into content they had refused. One creator, identified as Rebecca, said her managers turned controlling within weeks, insulted her appearance, and restricted her social life. After she changed her login details, she said she got threats aimed at her and her daughter, then was attacked at home by two masked men. She believes the incidents were connected to her agency.
What officials are saying
The UK’s Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner, Eleanor Lyons, told the BBC that Rebecca’s account matched “recognised signs of exploitation,” including control, coercion, and financial pressure. Lawyers quoted in the coverage called many OFM contracts unfair and predicted negligence claims against OnlyFans from creators harmed under those arrangements.
OnlyFans told the BBC it is “not connected with, and do not endorse, any third parties including management agencies,” and that it cannot review contracts creators sign outside the platform. The company said it takes safety seriously and will restrict accounts flagged for concern. One creator, Riley, said she reported OFM Empire activity in 2024 and was told there was not enough evidence to act.
Why the timing matters
The findings landed months after Fenix International, OnlyFans’ parent company, sold a 16% stake to Architect Capital for $535 million at a $3.15 billion valuation. OnlyFans reported $7.22 billion in gross payments for fiscal 2024 and says it has paid out more than $25 billion to creators since 2016. That payout machine is exactly what unregulated agents have been trying to capture.
For creators, the takeaway is blunt: handing over logins and payout details to a third party can cost far more than a commission cut.
Photo by Intel Free Press via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0)
