After appearing on Married At First Sight (MAFS), there are a few money-making avenues contestants seem to go down. There’s the OnlyFans route, a podcast, a boxing match and, of course, brand deals on Instagram. However, 2022 bride Ella Ding has gone down a new avenue by launching a venture hosting massive giveaways and a membership to her very own “shopping club”.
Despite Ella’s best efforts, punters online have been calling out the former reality star and claiming that her latest venture is a scam. So, is there any truth to the scam claims? Or is Ella’s giveaway legit?
Let’s find out.
In 2024, Ella launched the Ella May Ding Shopping Club, a monthly membership program that gives its members a range of “exclusive discounts” along with a chance to win expensive prizes.
According to the official website, the team behind the Ella May Ding Shopping Club are “on a mission to become the number one discount club for women across the country” and boasts that you could receive up to 30 per cent off “at all Ella’s favourite brands, stores and much more”.
While the 30 per cent discounts are nice, the biggest incentive is the frequent giveaways offered by the company.
Over the last couple of weeks, folks online have been inundated with ads from Ella and her company promoting the latest upcoming giveaway. While some people have simply been complaining about the frequency of these promos, others are claiming it could be a scam.
TikTok user @reality_hoe has called out the former reality star, raising questions about the whole promotion and alleging that the car she’s giving away is not a 2026 model after peeping a 2024 model used in the promotional photos.
While Ella did use a 2024 car in her promos, the terms and conditions on the website state that the car used in the pics is purely for “content purposes only”.
However, in the comments of one of Reality_hoe’s videos talking about the frequency of Ella’s promotional posts, Ella’s former bestie and MAFS co-star Domenica Calarco weighed in.
“Yes, I have to constantly block them,” she wrote.
When asked by another commenter whether it was a scam, Domenica responded in a cryptic way.
“Let’s just say she’s scammed me,” she said.
“I’m not ready to talk about it yet, but when I do, this will all make sense.”
How does Ella’s giveaway work?
The giveaways, which feel similar to those of Melbourne businessman Adrian Portelli and his company LMCT+, can be entered through a tiered package system which offers a different number of entries depending on the cost of the package. According to the website, entry into the competition is free when people purchase a package which gives them access to the Ella May Ding Shopping Club.
The one-off payments range from $7.88 for 15 “free” entries to $388.88 for 2000 “free” entries to win a 2026 Range Rover Evoque or $70,000 in cash.
“Join the club below to gain access to amazing discounts, benefits, and to join our Range Rover Evoque or $70,000 Cash giveaway,” it reads.
Is it a scam?
In short, no.
You see, Ella’s giveaway is registered and verified as a Trade Promotion in NSW rather than a lottery.
According to the NSW Government and NSW Fair Trading, trade promotions must be carried out in accordance with the Community Gaming Act 2018 and Community Gaming Regulation 2020 and cannot charge an entry fee to participate in the gaming activity. However, purchasing goods or services at their normal retail value is allowed.
Associate Professor in Regulation and Governance at UNSW Business School Dr Rob Nicholls is an expert in the Community Gaming Act 2018 and Community Gaming Regulation 2020.
“The ‘Membership Package’ structure might be an attempt to circumvent the prohibition on charging entry fees for trade promotions. However, in order to challenge this, there would need to be a court action,” Dr Nicholls told PEDESTRIAN.TV.
“The terms and conditions structure the entry as the purchase of a ‘Membership Package’. The membership has purported independent value like discounts, events and merchandise. The competition entries are presented as a benefit of membership, not the primary purpose of the purchase. However, the core question is whether this structure circumvents the prohibition on charging an entry fee.”
Dr Nicholls says that when Australian courts interpret legislation like The Community Gaming Act 2018, it will look at the substance of a transaction along with its form.
“They will consider whether the ‘Membership Package’ purchase is, in reality, a disguised entry fee,” he adds, noting that a court would hypothetically look at whether the price of the package was proportionate to the value of the discounts, what the primary purpose of membership is and how the pricing of each tier is structured.
According to Fair Trading NSW, the classification of the tiered membership package system depends on the company’s terms and conditions.
“Whether a membership system of the kind described qualifies as a purchase of services at normal retail value would depend on the specific terms and conditions, including the nature of the benefits provided and how they compare to standard market offerings,” NSW Fair Trading told PEDESTRIAN.TV.
Fair Trading NSW also noted that it “has not received any complaints or enquiries about Ella Ding Enterprise Pty Ltd or Ella May Ding to date” and encouraged consumers who did have concerns to raise them directly with NSW Fair Trading or Consumer Affairs Victoria, where the company is based. No court actions have been commenced in relation to the promotion.
Ella isn’t the only MAFS star who has faced scam allegations for their business moves after the reality show. Brent Vitiello, who appeared alongside Ella in the 2019 season, has been accused of scamming customers via his seamoss brand MOS x Daily. Claims which he has denied.
Fair Trading NSW has even issued a warning encouraging customers “not to deal” with the brand.
Ella Ding has not replied to PEDESTRIAN.TV’s requests for comment.
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