Dozens of crimes linked to OnlyFans have been reported to Avon and Somerset Police in the last five years, an investigation for Bristol Live has revealed. The force said in response to a Freedom of Information request by the Daily Mirror that there had been 61 reported crimes where OnlyFans had been recorded by officers, resulting in six arrests.
Avon and Somerset Police did not provide details of the complaints but across the country forces revealed allegations of serious and violent crime linked to the platform. They include at least 10 cases of women claiming they are being forced to perform sex work on the platform by their controlling partners.
Also across the country, there were 21 reported rapes where OnlyFans was mentioned and more than a dozen cases which refer to involvement of under 18s using the OnlyFans in breach of site rules.
Avon and Somerset Police said the data is based off searches of incidents where the terms ‘OnlyFans’ or ‘only fans’ appears and that such searches ‘can be misleading and the data they produce does not constitute a reliable basis from which to draw wider conclusions’.
OnlyFans has revealed it has had nearly 180 legal requests from UK law enforcement in the last two years and a spokesperson said: “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.”
Avon & Somerset Police revealed that in 17 cases, the suspect had been identified but evidential difficulties prevented further action, and in 15 the investigation was closed having been investigated as far as reasonably possible with no suspect identified.
Meanwhile, in 13 cases the suspect was identified but the victim did not support police action, in a further five cases the victim either declined or was unable to support police in identifying the offender. In four cases, further investigation was deemed “not in the public interest”.
Crimes reported to Avon and Somerset Police by year
2020 – 7
2021 – 15
2022 – 11
2023 – 11
2024 – 17
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 who was filmed having sex with more than 1,000 men in 24 hours.
Through Freedom of Information Act requests, the Mirror 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”. 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”.
The Mirror 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 revealed there had been 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.
A total of 27 forces provided 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. 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.”
OnlyFans has said it tightened its procedures in 2022, requiring proof of consent from all who feature in explicit content. 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. It’s vital that under the Online Safety Act technology companies are held to account for the role they should play in removing harmful content from their platforms and working with law enforcement to stem the tide of online sexual abuse.
“We know that these crimes disproportionately affect women and girls, so we must also see greater education for young people around topics such as consent and healthy relationships, to stop this harmful behaviour from developing in the first place.”
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.
“Through the Online Safety Act, social media platforms must remove illegal content to prevent the spread of harmful and dangerous information, and protect our communities. But this government is committed to using all available levers to ensure children are protected online, and we will not hesitate to go further if necessary.
“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.”