Newsletter August 2025

Newsletter East Finchley

Thank you to you all of you for joining up to Met Engage, which with the fullness of time will become more useful and pertinent to both residents and the safer Neighbourhood Team (SNT).

Having spoken with many of you since met Engage began, lots of you said they would miss the newsletter that I did on occasion, and I have decided to carry on with it an send it out via Met Engage until told otherwise.

So lets begin with looking at one of the latest ways scammers are separating us from our money, as it`s a relatively new way of doing so.

Online purchase Scams

These continue to rise with over 80% of people reporting falling for these scams.

Some scammers set up fake e-commerce stores and buy ads for the website on social media. Alternatively, scammers might list items for sale on online marketplaces, including social media platforms' marketplaces.

The scammers may take your money and never send anything in return, putting you back time and again with promises of goods or services being delivered.

Always look for red flags such as too-good-to-be-true prices, lack of details or high-pressure sales tactics such as one hour or one day to buy with huge discounts.  Paying with your credit card or Pay Pal help you limit potential losses, as you can initiate a chargeback if you don't receive a product or service.

So far it has been a quiet summer for crime, very few burglaries, and we have not had a reported phone snatch since the beginning of June. It would seem the dual efforts of police and folk keeping their phones out of sight while on the street has been effective.

Do keep up with your vehicle security, for although August has been quiet vehicle crime continues to be a concern. Take a look at additional protection for your vehicle, old school methods like Discloc steering wheel locks and pedal locks can be very effective, and keeping the electronic keys safe from theft and in faraday bags when home.

Warm regards for the rest of the holidays,

PCSO 7135NW Jan Lovell