Is OnlyFans Safe? What You Should Know in 2024

OnlyFans has made a name for itself by catering to a select market. Its primary focus on allowing creators to earn direct payment for every subscriber while offering fans access to exclusive content that can’t be found anywhere else online sets it apart from other platforms.

The unique blend of exclusivity for fans and artistic freedom for content creators has helped propel OnlyFans into the spotlight. Today, the platform is a popular choice for those seeking something original.

However, as OnlyFans gains reach, users’ personal and financial safety has become a growing concern. As such, this article evaluates OnlyFans’ safety from the perspectives of content creators and subscribers.

My OnlyFans review delves into the platform’s security measures, susceptibility to cyber attacks, and strategies for safeguarding yourself while using it.

What Is OnlyFans and How Does It Work?

OnlyFans is a social media site and a platform for creators to share their content with their followers, who subscribe at prices established by creators.

Though the platform is famous for hosting a wide variety of adult content, it accommodates individuals from diverse sectors. So whether your interests lie in finance, photography, sports, or fashion, this site welcomes you to participate as a viewer or share your content with the platform’s audience.

OnlyFans was launched in 2016 by Timothy Stokely and has since blossomed into a vast platform. Current statistics reveal that the platform boasts 170 million registered users and 1.5 million content creators.

Thanks to its user-friendly nature, the platform is easy to navigate for both creators and subscribers. Content creators only need to create an account, set a monthly or annual subscription price, and start sharing their content with the subscribers behind their OnlyFans paywall.

After browsing the available options, fans can choose which OnlyFans accounts to follow. After choosing, they must subscribe to access the account’s contents. The process is similar to YouTube, where users can subscribe to their preferred channels. In most situations, the difference is that OnlyFans accounts require a monthly or yearly subscription fee.

The content creator sets the monthly subscription fee, ranging from $4.99 to $49.99, and subscribers must pay to access that account’s content. Subscribers can also follow free accounts on the platform.

In addition to the content that’s available publicly, creators also have the option of creating pay-per-view content in the form of private videos. These videos can range from personalized birthday messages to exclusive advice sessions, and a minimum fee of $5 is charged for each.

Finally, in terms of sharing percentage, content creators get 80% of the earnings from their content, while OnlyFans takes only 20%.

Is OnlyFans Safe for Content Creators and Fans?

OnlyFans prioritizes the security of creators and subscribers and seeks to fulfill that pledge by implementing several safety measures for internet users.

Despite OnlyFans being a secure platform, I recommend that creators and users exercise caution and implement additional measures to safeguard themselves. We’ll talk more about those remedies later. Let’s explore what OnlyFans does exactly to protect its users.

Is OnlyFans Safe for Content Creators?

OnlyFans enforces stringent policies regulating permissible content and keeping users safe on the platform. Violating any of the terms outlined in the policy can lead to account suspension.

OnlyFans provides several measures for content creators to ensure their safety. Creators can safeguard their account information by enabling two-factor authentication and tracking login sessions to identify unauthorized access. To check when someone last accessed an account, navigate to Settings > Account > Login Sessions.

Additionally, creators can protect the authenticity of their content by adding watermarks. The feature can be enabled by visiting Settings > Privacy and Safety or contacting the OnlyFans team if someone shares the content without permission.

Finally, OnlyFans creators can safeguard their profiles by controlling access to specific users and managing the visibility of profile details like their activity status or friends list.

Is OnlyFans Safe for Fans?

Given that OnlyFans is a platform where the monetization of sexually explicit content is widespread, subscribers are understandably concerned about their online safety and privacy. To address these concerns, OnlyFans uses protective measures to secure online accounts, including 3D Secure checkout, to protect the payment process.

However, subscribers should be aware that they must consent to collecting their personal information, such as their home address, name, and government ID. The site may share this personal information only with affiliate partners or, if legally ordered, with law enforcement.

It’s also worth noting that transactions made on the platform will appear on financial statements as OnlyFans, which may compromise the transaction’s privacy.

What Are the Risks of Using OnlyFans?

Using OnlyFans involves various privacy risks for both creators and subscribers. OnlyFans creators may be subject to troubling conduct from subscribers, such as stalking and harassment, and may find their content distributed on other platforms without their consent.

Similarly, while subscribers may be more susceptible to phishing attempts and unsafe online behaviors, OnlyFans content creators may fall prey to malicious attacks and harmful software.

Using OnlyFans can pose various potential dangers, and users must exercise caution to protect themselves and their information.

The most common risks encountered by OnlyFans users are listed here.

Promoter Scams

As a fiercely competitive platform for content creators, OnlyFans often drives many aspiring creators toward promoters to help build their accounts. However, not all promoters are legitimate. Some deceitful promoters may approach creators and advertise their services, only to abscond with their money without fulfilling their promise.

If you choose to employ the services of a promoter, perform a comprehensive background check on the person or agency and avoid trusting anyone who contacts you out of the blue. Most illegitimate actors will seek you out rather than you seeking them, and they may promise results that are too good to be true for their price. They also target newer accounts that haven’t been exposed to such scams.

Account Hacking

Every online account, including those of OnlyFans creators and subscribers, can be hacked. OnlyFans accounts are particularly vulnerable when someone uses weak passwords or when third parties have access to the associated email. Unfortunately, such oversights can lead to identity theft and fraudulent activities.

If a hacker successfully gains access to an OnlyFans account, they can change the associated email address and impersonate the account owner. A successful hack can lead to unauthorized users accessing sensitive content and financial information.

The repercussions of such security breaches are not limited to content creators alone. Subscribers are also at risk since hackers can coordinate efforts to infiltrate their accounts and allow them to spend their money without authorization.

Copyright Violation

Regrettably, OnlyFans leaks have become popular on the internet. These often occur when a subscriber screenshots or records the content and shares it on other platforms.

Adult content creators are the most vulnerable to copyright violation. To safeguard against content theft, creators can add watermarks to their videos, a feature conveniently available on OnlyFans.

If sexual content gets leaked, OnlyFans provides a specialized copyright team that issues take-down notices to hosting services, search engines, and websites with stolen content. They do this for free on the creator’s behalf.

Stalking

Stalking poses a serious risk to content creators, particularly those with overly enthusiastic and obsessed fans. Reports of stalking by OnlyFans subscribers have been on the rise, with one instance involving a stalker breaking into a model’s home in New Hampshire, hiding in the attic, and taking pictures of the model while she was asleep.

To prevent stalking, content creators should restrict the amount of personal information posted on their pages. You should not post details such as hotel information while on vacation, your home address, or other personally identifiable information that could be used to track you down.

Data Breaches

Data breaches happen when unauthorized individuals access sensitive information, such as usernames, passwords, and credit card details, and use it for fraudulent activities.

In March 2020, OnlyFans experienced a data breach via a cloud storage platform, which affected several hundred accounts. Hackers accessed content creators’ earnings, bank account details, and other sensitive information.

The actual breach raised concerns about the platform’s security measures and the safety of user data. To this day, many OnlyFans users are still worried about safety and privacy issues.

Identity Theft

Identity theft is prevalent on OnlyFans. Thieves often steal online identities, particularly those of TikTok and Instagram models, to earn money on OnlyFans. These crooks download photos and videos from other social platforms and create fake OnlyFans accounts.

Due to the recent increase in identity theft on OnlyFans, the platform now mandates that content creators verify their identities before they can earn money.

How Can You Protect Yourself on OnlyFans?

As an OnlyFans creator, it’s essential to determine the level of exposure you’re comfortable with. For instance, are you okay with subscribers seeing your face? Would you prefer if OnlyFans users within your country or state could find you but no one else?

Carefully evaluate and confirm the information you want to share with subscribers—and potentially with anyone on other social media platforms in case your content gets leaked. It would be best if you also took protective measures to safeguard yourself from hackers, stalkers, and serious scams.

Similarly, subscribers should adhere to some basic guidelines to remain secure on the platform. Primarily, they need to ensure their account is appropriately secured, refrain from subscribing to suspicious accounts, and verify that their devices are malware-free to avoid being hacked on the platform.

Below are some extra security measures that OnlyFans creators and subscribers can implement to stay safe.

Set Up Two-Factor Authentication (2FA)

Setting up two-factor authentication (2FA) is essential to boosting the security of your OnlyFans account. 2FA adds an extra layer of verification when logging in, reducing the risk of unauthorized access.

Enabling 2FA is quick and easy. OnlyFans offers two options for 2FA: SMS code and time-based one-time password (TOTP). A login verification code is sent to your phone via text message. To use TOTP, you must download a third-party app like Duo Security or Google Authenticator, which will generate a new access code every thirty seconds.

Install Antivirus Software on Your Device

Malware attacks constantly threaten OnlyFans users and can lead to disastrous consequences. Malicious software can allow hackers to control your computer remotely, steal sensitive information, and even cause your device to crash.

Cybercriminals can use remote access tools to monitor you through your webcam, infiltrate your OnlyFans account, and spend your hard-earned money on fraudulent accounts under their control.

In addition, they might even use your account to send spam messages containing phishing or malware links, which could terminate your OnlyFans account. As such, it’s vital to install antivirus software to detect and flush out any potential threat before it can cause irreversible damage to both your device and your OnlyFans account.

Use a Separate Bank Account and Email Address

To add another layer of security, an OnlyFans content creator can create a separate bank account and email address to manage their OnlyFans activity. Following this security measure can help protect their personal finances and content in the event of a data breach. A free anonymous email service like ProtonMail can help you create a new email address that’s secure from potential attacks.

Using a separate bank account for managing OnlyFans finances is also prudent, as it can make accounting and tax management easier while also serving as a protective measure. It’s also important to regularly review financial accounts to ensure their safety (more on that below), and having a separate bank account for OnlyFans makes it that much easier.

Be Careful with Web Links

It’s essential to exercise caution when clicking links shared by individuals on platforms such as OnlyFans. Scammers may use phishing links to access your sensitive information for fraudulent purposes.

These links can harm computer systems and infect them with viruses that compromise sensitive data. Scammers often disguise these malicious links using URL shortening tools like Bitly or TinyURL. To avoid falling prey, only click links from sources you trust that verifiably lead to a trusted destination.

Monitor Your Finances

If you find that your OnlyFans account isn’t getting credited or you notice unauthorized transactions in your bank account, it’s advisable to alert your financial institution promptly. By doing so, you can swiftly address and resolve any potential financial problems, mainly hacking incidents or when an evil user attempts to interfere with the flow of your funds.

Some content creators have experienced rescinded incoming online payments when their subscribers asked their banks to reverse their transactions. However, if you detect these issues early on, the OnlyFans support team can appeal these bank reversals on your behalf.

Install a Virtual Private Network on Your Device

First things first: virtual private networks (VPNs) are general-purpose privacy and security tools—they don’t offer direct protection on OnlyFans. That said, if you want to enhance your online security and keep your activity private from your internet service provider and spies alike, using a VPN is still highly recommended. With a VPN, you can encrypt your data and conceal your IP address, making it difficult for bad actors to monitor your online activity or steal sensitive data.

The best VPNs are ExpressVPN, CyberGhost, and Private Internet Access. These VPNs offer advanced features, never record your activities, and are easy to install. They let you connect to servers in locations worldwide, which gives you access to new content on the internet.

But keep in mind that using a VPN doesn’t stop you from divulging private information of your own accord, so you still need to be careful about how you engage with people and platforms online.

Conclusion

OnlyFans provides some safety measures like strict policies and two-factor authentication to safeguard users, but ultimately, your safety is in your own hands. So while using OnlyFans involves certain inherent risks, the strategies we covered can help you mitigate those risks so you can enjoy OnlyFans with greater peace of mind.

Frequently Asked Questions

Topic: Social Media