ATM Skimmer Found at Grand Central

Officials said they used the device to lure a suspect.

Last week, an ATM skimming device was found on a Metro-North ticket machine at Grand Central Terminal in New York and the company is warning customers to be cautious.

Fortunately, an MTA employee was the one to find the device, which had a pinhole camera, and authorities were able to use it to bait the suspect.

Investigators said they disabled the device, put it back together and made an arrest days later.

According to the MTA, this skimmer appeared to be more sophisticated than others because it was made of metal, rather than plastic, and was slimmer than others that have been used.

Officials from MTA said they patrol the machines, but local police said these devices are far too common and advise using machines in secure locations.

“Once it goes onto the actual card reader, they can basically read all your magnetic strip information off the back,” Lt. James Perez, of the Fairfield Police Department, said. “Usually, what they'll do is accompany it with a little pinhole.”

Lt. Perez advises shaking the machine to check it.

“Once you do that and see it's nice and tight and it's all one piece, I'm good to go,” he said.

"This would be the last place I would think my card information would get stolen," said Chris Lafley, of western Massachusetts, said.

She said she put her card in blindly.

“I never use cash, because you get those coins back, so who would want to use cash, but yeah I'd helpless I guess," Lafley said.

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