We knew it was only a matter of time.
This week, our site was targeted with a wave of DMCA takedown notices. Not from creators, not from agencies, not from anyone with a genuine copyright issue. No, this came from a competitor who decided that instead of competing fairly, the smarter play was to try to game the system.
Here’s how it works: instead of outranking us by building a better product, they filed DMCA complaints with Google, claiming we don’t have the right to list certain models. They didn’t even bother to cover their tracks. Dozens of OnlyFans directories were suddenly hit with takedowns, all except for one major competitor. The notices all came through the same small group of freelancers in Pakistan. When every major site in the space gets attacked except one, you don’t need to be Sherlock Holmes to figure out what’s going on.
We did the work. We responded to every DMCA with proper counter-notices. We compiled a full report for Google showing the pattern, the target list, and the one obvious exception. And Google listened.
Every one of our appeals was approved. More importantly, Google confirmed that moving forward, they won’t act on DMCA requests against us without first giving us the chance to respond. In other words, this competitor has accidentally “DMCA-proofed” us. Their attack backfired.
I’m also frustrated for the freelancers who were pulled into this. Filing false DMCA notices is not only unethical, it’s illegal. Google tracks this behavior. Those accounts are now flagged, and their takedowns carry far less weight, if any at all. In trying to hurt us, our competitor actually damaged their own ability to use the system in the future.
Here’s the thing: we’re not going to stoop to their level. We won’t be filing bogus takedowns against anyone else. We’ve always prided ourselves on running this directory honorably, for the models, for the agencies, and for our users. Even when others don’t.
Update.
We found the culprit who filed (some of) the DMCAs. He spent a week denying it, saying someone had stolen his identity(?!?), but in the end, we were able to prove it was him. (Muhammad Shafiq). He admitted he had nothing he could use to prove a right to lodge the DMCAs and he had no evidence his client represented the models. DMCAs require an accompanying stat dec stating a belief that they have the right to make the claim. Without even knowing who briefed you, and without evidence, they represented the model – such a stat dec can not legally be made. Shafiq made one anyway, just wanting to get paid.
At best, he was criminally negligent, not ensuring he had a legal right to file the DMCAs. At worst, he is just a criminal.
Here he is on Fiverr https://www.fiverr.com/shafiq508
Here he is Upwork https://www.upwork.com/freelancers/~01c532bdb5b761c3e8
We’ll be contacting Fiverr and Upwork to complain that he is using those platforms to advertise his business, placing criminally fraudulent DMCAs.
The FanFindModels Editorial Team writes articles about OnlyFans-themed topics, including guides and current event commentary.