Two former OnlyFans users are suing the subscriber platform in a class-action lawsuit over claims they were defrauded by “impersonated” models.
M. Brunner and J. Fry of Illinois say creators they subscribed to were employing agencies to “impersonate” models instead of speaking directly to them through direct messages and video clips, reports 404 Media.
The former users say they would not have subscribed to the platform or would have reduced their fees if they knew they were speaking to agency “chatters.”
However, they would consider returning to the platform if the platform stopped models using agencies, according to the report.
For years, dozens of OnlyFans agencies have offered a service where people manage creators’ messages and sometimes respond to fans. Not all creators use the service.
The plaintiffs did not provide proof they were speaking to agency chatters in the complaint, which is against OnlyFan’s parent companies Fenix International Limited and Fenix Internet, LLC.
It comes after a lawsuit against Unruly Agency in 2021, which claimed the company preyed on and defrauded fans into sharing their “deepest and innermost personal secrets.”
Five OnlyFans users filed separate class action complaints against the parent companies last July over “chatter scams,” with the case set for trial in 2027.
“Over time, Plaintiff Fry began to become suspicious of who he was actually communicating with when purportedly exchanging DMs with Creators, as messages he received contained contradicting information or errors,” the Illinois men’s complaint detailed.
Plaintiff Brunner also realized a single person would struggle to send content directly to 700,000 fans, it said.
“By exercising its discretion to enrich itself while participating in the deception of its customers, OnlyFans consciously and deliberately frustrates the agreed common purposes of the contract and disappoints the reasonable expectations of Plaintiffs and Class Members, thereby depriving them of the benefit of their bargain,” it stated.
OnlyFans has not yet responded to The Independent’s request for comment.
“Any third party that a creator elects to work with does not work on behalf of OnlyFans and is not affiliated with the company in any way,” an OnlyFans spokesperson told Cosmopolitan last year on a story about how creators boost productivity with agencies.
“Creators may choose to work with a wide range of third parties, including photographers, videographers, talent managers and agencies, to curate and monetize their content.”
