Fifty women have come forward with allegations that they were pressured into swinging activities on the website FabSwingers, according to a BBC investigation. The women reported feeling coerced by partners into sexual encounters with other men and women. These accounts have led to scrutiny of the website's moderation practices and a call for regulatory intervention.
Jess Phillips, a UK lawmaker, expressed concern over the website's practices, stating that its moderators are not adequately trained. "Not even training your moderators on your website. They should be ashamed of themselves," Phillips told the BBC. She believes the site may be in violation of the Online Safety Act and has urged the regulator Ofcom to investigate seriously and potentially shut it down.
Ofcom has stated it is "extremely concerned" by the BBC's findings and is in discussions with FabSwingers' provider, though an investigation has not yet been launched. Unlike some other platforms, FabSwingers does not require identity verification, a feature that critics say makes it more difficult for law enforcement to identify individuals involved in alleged criminal activities. The lack of strict identity checks also allows banned users to potentially create new accounts, although the website claims to have systems in place to detect such activity without detailing how.
Data obtained by the BBC through Freedom of Information requests reveals that the website has been mentioned in at least 329 police reports across the UK since 2023. These reports include allegations of rape, sexual offenses, coercive control, harassment, blackmail, stalking, assault, and possession of extreme pornography. However, the BBC notes that a mention in a police report does not necessarily indicate FabSwingers' direct responsibility for the alleged incidents.
The majority of women who contacted the BBC did so after the story of Ruth O'Grady, the subject of a podcast called "Swingers," was shared. Many expressed that O'Grady's story made them feel less alone, with one woman stating, "I'm still not in a place where I want anyone I love to know some of these things about my past. But I feel a little less alone now."
FabSwingers has stated that its moderation system involves up to five site administrators who receive reports from moderators, supplemented by AI and automated controls. The BBC investigation team has provided an email address, [email protected], for individuals who wish to share information related to the story. Additional research for the BBC report was conducted by Emily Parsons.