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LIRR Ticket Machine Scam Leaves Riders Shocked

GREENVALE, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) -- Long Island Rail Road riders were shocked Saturday morning, following revelations that tiny video cameras were discovered hidden on ticket vending machines.

As WCBS 880's Sophia Hall reported, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority police have advised riders to check their accounts, after the cameras were found on the ticket machines at the Bayside and Great Neck stations on the Port Washington branch, the Merillon Avenue station on the Huntington/Port Jefferson branch, and at Greenvale on the Oyster Bay branch.

LIRR Ticket Machine Scam Leaves Riders Shocked

The cameras were found attached to a number of machines in view of the credit and debit cards of riders, CBS 2's Don Champion reported Friday night.

The cameras blend right in with the LIRR machines, and were discovered only after one of them fell onto the ground.

"To know people are trying to scam you. It certainly adds a layer of discomfort," LIRR rider Samantha Isaacs said.

"It takes a certain kind of person to come up with something like that. You really can't stop everything, but it's a shame that people like that exist," Lee Schneider added.

And with identity theft being a major problem across the country, one rider explained how he protects himself.

"I pretty much hide it. You know, I cover it with my hands. I punch in my number. That's pretty much it," he said. "So far, I haven't had any problems."

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