In today's world, there are many online platforms emerging to help people make money. Some are legitimate freelancing platforms such as Upwork; then, there are others like OnlyFans.

OnlyFans has been falsely branded as a platform that empowers women and helps them make easy, extra money.

In actuality, however, OnlyFans preys on women, especially financially insecure women, and perpetrates the false notion that women's bodies are property to be sold for a price.

If this wasn't bad enough, there have also been cases of sex trafficking, including sex trafficking of children, on OnlyFans. The best future for this platform would be nuking it in the same way that authorities did with Backpage a few years ago.

Seedy and Exploitative

The National Center on Sexual Exploitation rightfully warns the public that OnlyFans is indeed a problem.

Some of the most problematic aspects of OnlyFans include the following:

• Videos of rape found on the platform
• Female creators being harassed and stalked in real life by their "subscribers"
• Female creators losing their jobs in real life after someone in their inner circle learns they're on OnlyFans
• False promises of a quick and easy buck

Now, supporters of OnlyFans will point to stories of female celebrities like Bella Thorne or Danielle Bregoli making millions on OnlyFans. Yet, for every one case such as this, there are at least several others of women making next to nothing on the platform.

Warnings of Human Trafficking From Law Enforcement

Law enforcement officials, such as Deputy Joseph Scaramucci in San Antonio have warned that OnlyFans creates another income avenue for human traffickers. Unlike many defenders of OnlyFans, Scaramucci has spent more than ten years studying human trafficking.

According to him, multiple human trafficking cases have taken place on OnlyFans. In these cases, Scaramucci and other authorities can tell that some of the women are under the control of another party or otherwise coerced.

For many people who aren't aware, human traffickers rely on force, fraud, and coercion to carry out their crimes.

Defenders of OnlyFans will likely push back against child sex trafficking claims by alleging that the platform has an age verification wall. However, Scaramucci explains that OnlyFans' age verification is quite easy to get around.

He also wants the general public to know that just because some women are smiling or appear happy on OnlyFans, it does not necessarily mean they want to be there doing what they're doing.

Warnings of Human Trafficking From Survivors

Law enforcement officials are not the only ones warning that human trafficking occurs on OnlyFans. Human trafficking survivor Allison Franklin has also spoken out about this.

Franklin explained that she personally experienced traffickers targeting women online in order to ultimately get them to sell themselves on OnlyFans.

Furthermore, Franklin pointed out that she's able to look at certain women on this platform and tell that they'll be either targeted or exploited by human traffickers.

The Writing is on the Wall

Law enforcement, human trafficking survivors, forensic investigations, and anti-sexual exploitation organizations have each found cases of human trafficking on OnlyFans. At this point, defenders of the platform who don't see this are willingly choosing not to.

It is fact that in today's economy, many people are struggling. However, there should be real and legitimate avenues for folks in need to earn extra income. OnlyFans does not fall under this umbrella.

As stated, some women who created OnlyFans accounts for the purpose of bringing in extra money have wound up losing their day jobs. In many cases, this happens when someone who knows the woman in real life learns that she's on OnlyFans.

If OnlyFans ceased to exist tomorrow, the world would be a better and safer place for it.

Anyone who wishes to report what they believe to be human trafficking can contact the National Human Trafficking Hotline via phone at 1 (888) 373-7888 or by text at 233733.