A social media giveaway allegedly involving influencer Tammy Hembrow has left dozens of small business owners thousands of dollars out of pocket.
Mother-of-three Hembrow, 30, was due to be the face of a new campaign early this year led by ‘e-commerce mentor’ Matt Stevenson and his company ‘Influencer Giveaways’.
It offered dozens of small business owners the chance to gain up to 16,000 followers by paying $1,200 to have their profile promoted in an unspecified social media giveaway with the fitness influencer and her 17 million followers in March this year .
Hembrow has previously taken part in a similarly successful program with Mr Stevenson, where participants were entered into a raffle for a free Mercedes Benz.
But despite luring companies with the promise that Hembrow would participate in a new giveaway, six months later the companies that signed up say the promotion never happened.
Hembrow’s representatives have also tried to distance her from the new venture.
Max Connecters, the influencer PR firm representing Hembrow, said she is “in no way associated with or aware of any giveaways featuring Matt Stevenson,” according to an email seen by Daily Mail Australia.
However, several business owners have joined the campaign say they have not seen a return on their investment, and hNumerous emails, messages and phone calls to Mr Stevenson demanding answers or his money back have gone unanswered.
Meanwhile, they had to watch as Mr Stevenson showcased his luxury lifestyle online with his influencer wife Shanice and their young children.
Tammy Hembrow previously took part in a similar scheme with Matt Stevenson, which saw participants enter a raffle for a free Mercedes Benz (pictured together) and she played a prominent role in promotional material for Mr Stevenson’s current scheme.
Marketing specialist Bronte Godschalk, who entered the current competition because she wanted to promote her brand of chocolate brownies, said she had heard “nothing but radio silence” from Mr Stevenson and accused him of running an “unconscionable scheme”.
“He has blocked several victims on social media and ignored numerous emails and legal correspondence,” she told Daily Mail Australia.
“Many companies have been left stranded, without any way to recoup their investments or hold him accountable.”
Daily Mail Australia has contacted Mr Stevenson for comment.
His Influencer Giveaways website has been removed and the email is no longer valid.
Several business owners said they had done previous giveaways with Mr. Stevenson that had been successful.
He ran one with Hembrow last March promised participants the chance to win a free Mercedes Benz A-Class Sedan car worth an estimated $75,000.
The mother-of-three featured prominently in promotional material for Mr Stevenson’s current plan, due to launch in March (pictured)
However, Hembrow’s representatives have tried to distance themselves from it completely. In an email obtained by this publication, Max Connecters, the influencer PR agency representing Hembrow, said it is “in no way affiliated with or aware of any giveaways featuring Matt Stevenson.”
The giveaway was funded by an offer to small business owners to increase their social media followers by up to 15,000, in addition to access to marketing emails, in exchange for $1,200.
Hembrow played a major role in promotions for the plan, including in a video shared with her 17.3 million followers.
“This is the biggest giveaway I’ve ever done,” she said as she sat on the hood of the car in a form-fitting black dress.
‘I’ve partnered with Influencer Giveaways. We give one of you the chance to win this beautiful Mercedes Benz.
“All you have to do is share this post, go to Influencer Giveaways, follow everyone they follow and then come back here and tag a friend. Success!’
In another video, Mr Stevenson described it as the ‘most hyped giveaway ever’.
This, several entrepreneurs claimed, gave a ‘veneer of legitimacy’ to the latest collaboration.
This image was reinforced by Mr Stevenson’s influencer wife, who has almost 26,000 followers and regularly documents their lavish life together.
Clare Houghton, who hoped to boost the profile of her clothing brands and her sustainable shoe wipes business, said the messages were annoying.
“It’s obviously annoying when I see him go out on a Tuesday night and buy an $80 steak and post it on social media,” she said.
“And his wife bragging about asking for a $12.00 Cartier bracelet for her birthday. That is of course annoying because it feels like he is doing it with other people’s money.
“These giveaways normally attract about 70 sponsors, so it’s entirely possible he has more than $100,000 in other people’s money.”
Clare Houghton (pictured), who hoped to raise awareness of her clothing brands and her sustainable shoe shine business, suggested Mr Stevenson could have up to $100,000 of other people’s money
Mr Stevenson ran a successful promotion at Hembrow in March last year, giving entrants the chance to win a free Mercedes Benz A-Class sedan worth an estimated $75,000.
Several business owners are now considering legal action in an attempt to get their money back.
Another ‘sponsor’, Tenae Adamcic, said she had contacted police about Mr Stevenson’s actions but they were unable to help.
“Fair Trading couldn’t do anything about it either,” she added.
‘In principle we still have to take legal action, which will of course cost us more.
“But if he goes bankrupt, there will of course be no way to get our money back.”
In emails seen by Daily Mail Australia, Mr Stevenson told those involved that more than 40 ‘sponsors’ had not paid their invoices.
He also claims to have a ‘no refunds’ policy.
Daily Mail Australia has contacted Hembrow and Max Connectors for further comment.