OnlyFans 'agents' control and threaten creators while taking half their earnings, BBC finds

OnlyFans 'agents' control and threaten creators while taking half their earnings, BBC findsJust nowShareSaveAdd as preferred on GoogleNatasha Cox,Amelia Ellis,Kirstie BrewerandMike Radford,BBC News Gus Palmer/BBCOnlyFans creator Rebecca was subjected to abusive messages and violenceWarning: contains details of violence that some readers might find distressingRebecca, an OnlyFans creator, joined an agency after they promised to help her earn more on the adult social media platform - instead, they abused her, threatened her daughter and dispatched violent masked men to attack her at home, she says."They were lovely at the beginning." The 29-year-old from south Wales says her new managers told her she was beautiful and they had "never seen a girl" like her before. But within weeks they turned "quite controlling", insulting her appearance and forbidding her from going out with her friends, she tells BBC Three documentary OnlyFans: Inside the Machine.The abusive behaviour escalated after she changed her account login details, worried the agency - which could access her account - would lock her out, she says."I will have you and your daughter wrote off," said one message seen by the BBC.A brick smashed her window and, a few weeks later, two masked men arrived at her house. One came inside, she says, strangled her and threw her "up and down the stairs". She shows the BBC photos of bruises over her legs and throat.Her ordeal forms part of a pattern of allegations against agents, self-styled online as OnlyFans managers (OFMs). They promise to help creators grow their businesses on the platform but, BBC findings show, are sometimes exploitative and threatening.We heard from 60 UK OnlyFans creators and embedded ourselves in one of the largest private Telegram groups for agents, called OFM Empire, which has 24,000 members. There, we found advice on signing creators, taking control of their accounts and reaping profits...