Two former OnlyFans subscribers from Illinois are suing the platform’s parent companies, Fenix Internet, LLC and Fenix International Limited, in a class-action lawsuit alleging fraud. 

The plaintiffs, M. Brunner and J. Fry, claim they were deceived into believing they were communicating directly with content creators when, in fact, agencies were allegedly managing these interactions.

The subscribers assert they would not have paid for subscriptions, or would have paid less, had they known they weren’t interacting with the actual creators. The lawsuit states they would consider returning to the platform if OnlyFans prohibited creators from using agencies for subscriber communications.

“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,” the lawsuit reads.

This lawsuit follows a similar class action filed in July 2024 by five OnlyFans users against the company over “chatter scams,” which a judge recently ordered to trial in 2027. The practice of using “chatters” has drawn increased scrutiny, with plaintiffs claiming OnlyFans knowingly permits the deception.

Industry-Wide Practice Under Scrutiny

According to 404 Media, the use of agencies to manage OnlyFans accounts has been documented for years. These companies often provide services including photography, videography, and message management for creators with large subscriber bases.

One plaintiff, Fry, claims he “began to become suspicious” after receiving contradictory information in messages. The complaint suggests that creators with hundreds of thousands of subscribers could not realistically manage the volume of direct messages personally.

OnlyFans’ Response and Platform Policies

OnlyFans has previously addressed the role of third parties in creator operations. A company spokesperson told Cosmopolitan in 2024 that “creators may choose to work with a wide range of third parties” but emphasized that these entities “do not work on behalf of OnlyFans and are not affiliated with the company in any way.”

Financial Implications

The current lawsuit does not specify damages sought but highlights OnlyFans’ financial stake in the situation. The July 2024 lawsuit noted that the platform takes a 20% cut of all creator earnings, with the company reportedly generating approximately $2 billion in revenue in 2021.

The plaintiffs in this case, like those in previous actions, seek to represent a nationwide class of OnlyFans users who paid premium content fees to creators allegedly using third-party representatives for communication without disclosure to subscribers.