By Philip Newman
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority is asking straphangers to be careful when using MetroCard machines after a skimming device and camera were found hidden in a machine on Manhattan’s West Side.
The MTA said a subway patron found the illegal equipment Wednesday night in a vending machine at Columbus Circle station and turned it over to a station agent.
The MTA urged straphangers who have bought MetroCards at the station at the north end of the southbound No.1 platform using a credit or debit card to immediately check with their bank or credit card company to find out if their accounts show unauthorized activity.
A similar device was found earlier this week in a vending machine at the Long Island Rail Road station in Baldwin, L.I.
