MARTIN Lewis has revealed he is taking a break from work to spend time with his family and watch the Olympics – but not without issuing a final warning to fans.
The financial guru told followers he is putting a pause on sharing his usual money saving advice to “focus on family, fitness, some Olympic watching”.
The 52 year-old married father of one confirmed his temporary departure on X, formally known as Twitter.
A statement read: “For the next few weeks, I’m taking a mini-sabbatical, to focus on family, fitness, some Olympic watching, and recharging my batteries, as there’s a lots coming this autumn and winter and I want to be on form to help.
“I’ll be social media silent. The website and weekly email (we’ve just finished this weeks) will be in the overly-capable hands of the@MoneySavingExp team.”
His three million followers were quick to respond and wish him well on his break.
One user wrote: “Enjoy your well-deserved break, Martin! Recharge and come back stronger than ever.”
It is not uncommon for the founder of MoneySavingExpert to take some time of over the summer holidays.
Alongside his BBC podcast, the broadcaster and consumer champion is also a regular on TV shows such as Good Morning Britain and This Morning.
But before logging off, Martin issued a final warning, telling fans to beware of any scammers.
He said: “Beware scammers. Sadly when I’m off social, scammers tend to ramp up activity using my name, even messaging people from fake accounts so do take care.
“Plus when you see all those ‘Martin Lewis warns’ click bait stories, remember, unless you see me back on here, I’m not doing any interviews or saying owt, so treat them with a pillar of salt.”
In the past, scammers have used Martin’s likeness to swindle money from people.
More than £20million has been lost by victims of fake ads featuring the Money Saving Expert‘s profile in the past two years, according to Action Fraud data.
MoneySavingExpert.com recently analysed data from Action Fraud, looking at how frequently public figures were mentioned in scams reported to it in 2022 and 2023.
The biggest individual reported loss attributed to a scam featuring Mr Lewis is a staggering £500,000.
Commenting on the findings, earlier this month, he said: “It’s likely that the criminals pumping out these scam ads effectively use their own in-house dark-web digital marketing teams, researching which celebrities and advert types get the best click through rates, and honing the way they work to be able to attract more victims.”
IF you’ve lost money in a scam, contact Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040 or by visiting Actionfraud.police.uk.
You should also contact your bank or credit card provider immediatley to see if they can stop or trace the cash.
If you don’t think your bank has managed your complaint correctly, or if you’re unhappy with the verdict it gives on your case you can complain to the free Financial Ombudsman Service.
Also monitor your credit report in the months following the fraud to ensure crooks don’t make further attempts to steal your cash.
Martin is set to return to work at the end of the summer.
His MoneySavingExpert website will still be up and running, but direct posts from the journalist will not be available.
It is also unlikely the personality will make any TV or Radio appearances.
Martin Lewis was born in Withington, Manchester, on May 9, 1972.
He tragically lost his mother in a car accident when he was young, and in later life became a patron of the children’s bereavement charity Grief Encounter and an advocate for life insurance.
After graduating from uni, Martin landed a job working as a producer for BBC Radio Five Live.
Since then, the finance journalist has appeared on a number of different TV shows as a money expert, most notably GMTV.
He was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2014 Birthday Honours for services to consumer rights and to charitable services.
This was followed by Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2022 New Year Honours for services to broadcasting and consumer rights.
Martin has certainly put his money know-how to good use as he is now worth a fortune.
The Sunday Times Rich List estimates he has a net worth of £123million.
Martin set up his successful Moneysavingexpert.com for just £80 in 2003.
Which he then sold to Moneysupermarket.com in an £87m deal in 2012.
