How to Stay Safe on OnlyFans

If you’re a content creator on sites like OnlyFans, you must take your work seriously. That doesn’t mean you can’t have fun, but if you don’t take a calm and professional approach then you can put yourself at risk. Sites like OnlyFans are a great way to make money, and they are generally safe to use, but you can easily make them unsafe if you don’t follow basic guidelines.

In this guide we’re going to look at how you stay safe on OnlyFans – what you need to think about, how to protect your data, and the importance of the right approach on your mental health as well.

The Steps to Staying Safe on OnlyFans

Here’s a quick guide to staying safe on OnlyFans and other fan platforms.

• Choose a fan platform you know you can trust
• Keep private information to yourself, including your bank account, to prevent data breaches
• Use a strong password and set up Two Factor Authentication on your OnlyFans account
• Maintain a healthy boundary with subscribers, and block any who try to push the limit
• Protect your content with watermarks
• Scrub content of any metadata
• Maintain a healthy balance between working and living
• Be realistic about what sites like OnlyFans can do for you.

We’re going to go through each of these in more detail throughout the article.

Keeping Your Personal Details Safe on OnlyFans

When people ask whether OnlyFans and other sites are safe, they are often asking whether the websites themselves are safe to use – are they legitimate, or are they going to end up stealing your money or your other personal information?

And it’s a valid question because there have been many websites in the past that have used people’s urge to make money or to find adult content, as a way of scamming people. So a website like OnlyFans which is based around adult content, and that lets creators make money, could feasibly be a powerful scamming tool.

But you can relax (a little) – OnlyFans itself is not a scam website. It’s legit, as are many of the other fan platforms that have been set up as OnlyFans rivals.

We can’t say that all fan platforms are real and honest, because we don’t work with them all. But we do make sure that any sites we work with – such as Fanvue, Fansly, iFans and so on – are legit.

So, step one to staying safe is to use a website you can trust to sell your content. OnlyFans is a recognizable brand, but also check out our recommended OnlyFans alternatives if you want some other ideas.

But then you need to think about keeping your personal details safe – and that comes down to two main areas – keeping key parts of your personal information anonymous, and making sure your creator account is locked down with the right password protection.

Staying Anonymous on OnlyFans

Staying anonymous on sites like OnlyFans doesn’t necessarily mean hiding your face and making sure nobody can identify you.

It can mean that, but not necessarily.

If you do want to remain anonymous and you don’t want to show your face on OnlyFans then that’s a valid approach. A lot of people prefer to do this because it means they can keep their online creator career separate from their ‘real’ everyday life, maybe hiding it from friends, family or from other employers.

There have been many stories of teachers, office workers and other people who have been fired because their OnlyFans was discovered.

Whether you’re trying to keep your job safe, or your reputation safe from people you know who would disapprove, going totally anonymous is fine. It takes some work, but it’s something which a lot of people do.

But there’s a different kind of staying anonymous, which is what every creator on sites like OnlyFans should be doing to keep themselves safe – and that just means only sharing certain details about their lives.

• If you want to use your real first name for your OnlyFans profile, that is OK.
• If you want to use your whole name for your OnlyFans account, that is less likely to be safe.
• If you want to tell people the country where you live, so that they can find OnlyFans content creators from their own country, that is OK.
• If you want to tell people about the small town where you live, that is less likely to be safe.

You don’t know the people that are subscribing to you. You don’t know how obsessed they might be getting with you, or whether they are someone you can trust.

It’s OK to add a flavor of your real self to your creator profile if you want to build genuine bonds with your subscribers. It’s a good way of encouraging a relationship that could be more profitable for you.

But you absolutely can’t be sharing enough detail that could let someone look you up in real life, find your personal contact details or social media accounts, or even where you live.

You do not know how they would use this information. Data breaches happen when an OnlyFans creator gets careless.

So, simple enough right – don’t tell people your personal details?

That’s part of it. But also remember that OnlyFans creators typically shoot their content in their own homes. And you may be surprised at

• How much personal data you have lying around the room
• The lengths that a small handful of weirdos will go to, to deduct your personal data from clues you leave

With that in mind, you should always spend a couple of minutes before shooting any photos or videos, just doing a check of the room. Hide any letters or bills. Remove photographs that include other people. Simple steps will just make sure you maintain the right level of anonymity and can stay safer when you use OnlyFans.

Password Protection and OnlyFans

There’s another important personal detail that you absolutely must keep safe when you’re a creator on OnlyFans – your password.

When you log into your creator account, you have a lot of power. You can talk to your subscribers. You can download all of your content that’s hidden behind a paywall. You can withdraw your money.

Imagine giving that power to a stranger. They could gain access to all of your online data. They could gain access to your bank account!

It’s really serious stuff because they will have access to your full name and address, they can change your banking details to their own and start stealing your funds, and they can get you in a lot of trouble if they start harassing the loyal subscribers you’ve built up a fanbase with.

So, how do you keep your OnlyFans account details safe?

Firstly, use a dedicated email address for your account. Don’t use a personal email address that is easier to find elsewhere on the web. Just set up a new, work email that you’ve never published anywhere else. This also makes it easier to keep tabs on any communications from the platform.

Secondly, use a strong password. We know, it can be tempting to stick with an old favorite, something you’ve used on all your other accounts, but you have to be more careful. Use a password manager if you’re concerned about forgetting a new, complex one.

Finally, set up Two Factor Authentication (2FA). This is where you make it so that you have to verify any login with a secondary email address or your smartphone. While this might be a pain, and it might slow you down, it’s the safest way to protect your content and your earnings. It’s worth the extra effort to get two-factor authentication in place and to use it regularly.

You then just need to remain vigilant against any typical scams. The customer service teams at your fan platform will never, under any circumstances, ask for your password. So, if you get a message or an email claiming to be from them, but they’re asking for your login details, don’t give them over. Report the message instead.

If you're a victim of a data breach, you need to report it. Change your password in any password manages and make sure you change your details on any other platforms, including any social media platform where you're using it, so that you don't reveal personal information through those either.

Setting up a separate bank account

One of the extra security measures you can take is to set up a separate bank account for your OnlyFans content. That way, if any unauthorized users do get into your system, you've mitigated some of the privacy risks by keeping your personal account secure.

Make sure that, for any online banking, you also set up two-step authentication. That way if anyone does get your login credentials, then you have a way of recovering the details and preventing changes to payment details.

Using antivirus software

Another of the safety measures that all OnlyFans creators and subscribers should be utilising is installing antivirus software, if you aren't already protected. An OnlyFans content creator risks having their sensitive data stolen if someone uses a virus to steal your password and access your online platform.

Meanwhile, OnlyFans could follow phishing links and end up giving their own login credentials away, and they could lose access to their own bank details.

Maintaining a Digital Relationship

Another important consideration for staying safe with adult fan platforms is making sure you have healthy boundaries with the OnlyFans users subscribing to you.

The way that OnlyFans creators make money is by building up a relationship with the people who follow them. It’s not just about convincing them to see your photos and videos and asking for a subscription fee.

It sounds cynical, but you’re leaving money on the table if you don’t then work on your relationship with subscribers, because the top OnlyFans earners will make the big bucks through custom shoots, tips, selling items and more.

And the only way to convince people to pay extra for these things, or to just want to give you cash as a tip, is to make them feel special and valued.

You’ll spend a lot of time messaging people, asking about their day, and becoming almost a friend to them. But the key word here is “almost”.

While many subscribers know the limits, there are some who may misread the relationship you have with them. They might not know how the game works, and they might think you really are their best friend or their special someone.

In the worst cases, they might develop something of an obsession with you.

It can also go down another route. Sometimes a subscriber knows exactly what kind of relationship you have, but they misread their power in that relationship.

In their mind, they’re a paying customer, and so you have to do what they tell you to do. When they want it. As frequently as they demand.

This might sound ridiculous but there are many examples of it happening. Some customers just do not understand the right boundaries between subscriber and creator. And your job is to keep yourself safe on OnlyFans by establishing those boundaries clearly and sticking to them.

Don’t drop them, even for someone you think is a decent guy or girl. Because there are manipulative people out there, who can twist things to get what they want.

So, what are healthy boundaries that you should set with your OnlyFans users? They’ll be personal to you, but here are some suggestions:

• Establish what kind of content you’re prepared to make, and what kind of content you don’t want to make
• Establish exactly what a subscriber gets when they subscribe, and set clear rules for any additional tip games or other bonus extras you offer
• Make it clear what hours you are working, and when they can expect to receive messages back from you
• Be clear too on how often you can respond. You have a lot of people to chat to. Don’t let someone start getting annoyed because you’ve not replied within 5 minutes
• Again, be tough on what personal details you’re willing to share, and what you will keep to yourself
• Finally, be clear on the tone of messages and how you expect your subscribers to treat you.

Let’s quickly break these down in a little more detail.

Types of content

When you film and shoot content, you’ll be doing things that you’re comfortable with. Once you open yourself up to custom content requests though, you might be asked to do things outside your comfort zone.

Stick to what you’re happy doing, because if you do something that you don’t want to, it can have quite a serious impact on yourself, and also transfer power to the subscriber. If you set rules saying “no anal content”, for example, but you relent once, then the subscriber knows you’re a potential pushover.

What’s included

Make it clear what people get when they pay for something, and then they can’t complain or kick up a fuss when you deliver. This is the simplest way to keep conversations positive and to protect yourself from a backlash.

Working hours

If someone is expecting a reply from you every few minutes, you can let your guard down and start trying to meet their needs, instead of protecting your own. And when you do that, it’s a slippery slope to come back from.

Your time is your time. Work when you want to – more on that later.

Tone

Your subscribers should treat you with respect, so make sure you’re clear on the kind of tone you expect in messages. Just because you're creating content that includes nudes, or explicit content, doesn't mean people can talk you to in a derogatory way.

There are some nuances here. Maybe you offer a service where you’re happy to be a sub, and let people dominate you through their messages. If that’s the case, have a safe word to bring the conversation to a close if needed.

And the same applies in reverse. A lot of successful creators on OnlyFans are in the Findom field, so it might be you using abusive language. Make sure you’re protected by being clear that this is the tone you will be using, so subscribers can’t claim you’re being abusive without good cause.

Blocking OnlyFans Subscribers

If you find that you’ve set the right ground rules but you have a subscriber who is entitled and believes they can flaunt your rules, block them.

You might lose one subscription fee per month but it is worth it to keep yourself safe.

The only way to stay safe is to be comfortable blocking people when they deserve it, so make sure you do. Block users who cause you problems – it'll save you a load of hassle in future.

Keeping Your Private Content Safe on OnlyFans

Staying safe on OnlyFans and other content-sharing platform sites extends to making sure your content is protected.

Because guess what – if you’re posting adult content of yourself to your OnlyFans account, people want to see it. And unfortunately, some OnlyFans users don’t want to pay for that privilege.

Also, if you’re good at what you do, someone might try to steal it to set up their own page and make money from your work. There are some people who set up an entire OnlyFans profile consistent just with stolen content.

It’s nearly impossible to completely block people from stealing your content once they are subscribed, but you can at least help by using watermarks.

These are embedded into your content and mean that, if someone else steals your photos and videos, you can get the offending site to take them down pretty quickly.

A lot of platforms, including OnlyFans, offer automatic watermarking as you upload to their cloud storage platform, but if your chosen site doesn’t, you can do it yourself.

It’s easier with photos since you’re just adding some data to a static image, but with videos, you’ll need to be handy at editing to overlay your watermark.

Of course, you could always get our help with your photo and video editing, and we could do it for you.

Purging Metadata

Whenever you shoot a photo or a video, the save file has metadata. This is information stored in the file that can include a lot of your personal information, including your name and where you made the content.

When you upload this content to sites like OnlyFans, this data is usually stripped out, so you are kept safe – no one can download your photos and videos from your page and learn all about you.

But – and this is important – if you’re making custom content for a subscriber and you send them a file, it might have the metadata attached to it.

So, how do you get around this? There are two options.

1. Change your camera settings to stop it from adding metadata. You can usually find this is the settings for your camera, but you may need to Google your specific camera or phone model to find out how to do it.
2. Put your files through a metadata scrubber app that you can find on Google to remove any of the information from the file.

Make sure you do this for any files you send to your subscribers, otherwise, the tech-savvy ones might end up knowing a lot more about you than you want them to.

A Healthy Work/Life Balance

We’ve covered the main ways to stay safe with your OnlyFans account now, but there are a couple of less tangible ‘safety’ aspects you need to consider.

The first is making sure you have a healthy balance between your content career and the rest of your life. Working a job like this can become all-consuming, and that can become a danger to your health and in that way, can be unsafe if you aren’t careful.

A lot of people use sites like OnlyFans just to make money. They have a very transactional relationship with the platform and the people who subscribe to them.

Other people can get sucked in though, and become more obsessed with being the best – earning the most money, responding to people as fast as possible, and shooting the most content.

That’s OK, to an extent. If you love your job then it’s fine to do it for longer.

However, you have to make sure you aren’t spending every minute ‘working’. You need downtime, otherwise, it can become an unhealthy obsession.

Set aside time to work, including time to reply to messages, and keep some time free to be out of work, no matter how much you’re having fun.

Even if you don’t think you have a problem now, it can snowball. Setting up healthy habits is important to staying safe.

Taking a Patient Approach

The other less tangible thing to consider is when you use a site like OnlyFans to make a quick buck because you’re in dire financial need. It happens to a lot of people – you’re stressed and panicking about a bill that you need to pay, and you don’t have the funds.

These should never be reasons to turn to OnlyFans, or if you’re already a creator, to agree to shoot content that you normally wouldn’t be comfortable with.

If you see OnlyFans as a get-rich-quick scheme that can bail you out of your problems then you’re going to end up even more anxious and stressed because it takes time to earn money on these platforms, and even when you do, you need to wait for the payoff.

You can easily get yourself into a spiral of worry if you use sites like OnlyFans in this way. If you have financial issues, then yes OnlyFans and other fan platforms could help, but only for the long term.

For short-term problems, seek help elsewhere – your bank, family or friends.

Is OnlyFans Safe?

So, the big question – is OnlyFans safe, and are sites like OnlyFans safe too?

Yes, they are – if you follow the rules that we’ve established in this guide. The sites themselves won’t harm you, but people can, so be very careful with your personal details including your password and bank account. You need to treat subscribers with care – but also with a level of sensible suspicion.

Report any data breaches to the platform quickly, to help protect your online accounts.

And you’re one of those people who could do yourself mental harm – so set healthy boundaries with subscribers, with your time, and with your expectations of the platform.

Following these rules will mean you can have a happy and healthy career working as a content creator, and you will stay safe while working on your OnlyFans.