Allegations Against Visa and Mastercard on OnlyFans Transactions
In a recent whistleblower complaint, payment giants Visa and Mastercard have been accused of enabling payments for content involving child sexual abuse on the social platform OnlyFans. The report, which emerged in January 2023, was submitted to the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) and the U.S. Departments of Justice and Homeland Security.
Details of the Whistleblower Complaint
The allegations were brought forward by a senior financial compliance expert who claims that both payment companies were aware that their networks were being used for transactions involving illegal content. Despite this awareness, the companies allegedly failed to take adequate actions to halt these transactions, effectively ignoring the flow of illicit revenue. Previous alerts about unlawful activities on OnlyFans had reportedly been raised to both companies by the whistleblower and other anti-trafficking experts during 2021 and 2022.
Responses from Visa and Mastercard
Visa responded to the allegations by stating that it explicitly and unequivocally prohibits illegal activity on its network and maintains strict compliance requirements. The firm warned that failure to comply could lead to termination from the network. Mastercard similarly echoed a strict stance against illegal activities, with a representative stating via email, "We have zero tolerance for illegal activity on our network" and noted that no evidence of current illegal activity had been provided to them.
The Role of Financial Institutions in Monitoring Illegal Content
The claims lodged against Visa and Mastercard underscore a growing concern about the responsibility of financial networks in monitoring and preventing the misuse of their systems for illegal activities, especially those involving exploitation and abuse.
Official Responses and Ongoing Investigations
FinCEN, involved in the submission of the whistleblower complaint, stated that it does not comment on submissions to its whistleblower program or confirm the existence of ongoing investigations. As of last updates, OnlyFans had not provided a response to the allegations.
