As if you needed another reason to transition into a cash-only existence, a credit card skimmer was found attached to Metro-North ticket machine at Grand Central Terminal earlier this month. Thankfully, police were able to disable it after a few hours, and they say they've arrested a Queens man suspected of installing the device.
According to reports, the skimmer was found hidden inside the credit card slot of a ticket machine on May 12th. Cops were able to disable the device before someone swiped a card—surveillance video spotted a culprit attaching the skimmer only six hours prior to its disabling—and replaced it with an added concealed camera. And on Wednesday, authorities say they arrested 43-year-old Woodside resident Madalin Soren Satruc, who has since been charged with possession of a skimmer device.
Cops say they've found a number of skimming devices on Long Island Rail Road and Metro-North ticket machines. They note that this particular device was much slimmer than the usual ones and made of metal, making it much easier to conceal inside a machine. And if a skimmer at Grand Central isn't troubling enough, last month a skimmer was found attached to a MetroCard Vending Machine at the southbound Columbus Circle 1 station. There do not appear to have been any arrests regarding that incident.
