ROCHESTER, N.Y. – Barbara Lipsky started seeing EZ-Pass charges on her credit card in January and February, each for $25. After four charges to replenish her account, she called EZ-Pass.

“So she’s pulling it up and she’s looking and all of a sudden she starts laughing,” Barbara Lipsky said. “And I asked ‘What’s so funny?’ She says well I just saw the picture. It’s a state police car with your license plate.”

The license plate is 1M-20. Every time the trooper drove into Manhattan it triggered E-ZPass charges in the city’s new congestion pricing zone. And every time, the state police weren’t charged. Barbara was.

Berkeley Brean, News10NBC: “So if we look at your car…”

Barbara Lipsky: “In the garage.”

Berkeley Brean: “Right now, it has this plate.”

Barbara Lipsky: “Yes. Front and back.”

Barbara took News10NBC Chief Investigative Reporter Berkeley Brean to her garage to show the plate. She says her late husband got the plate when he started working for Monroe County in the 1960s. He passed away about five years ago, but she still has the plate on the car she drives.

Berkeley Brean: “We’re laughing about it.”

Barbara Lipsky: “I know.”

Berkeley Brean: “But it’s not that funny. You’re losing money on this.”

Barbara Lipsky: “Not only have they got my money but I’m supposed to take a trip to Michigan this summer. What am I going to do?”

Berkeley Brean: “The impact on your life is what?”

Barbara Lipsky: “It’s just spooky. It’s upsetting. It’s inconvenient. It’s all those things. And it’s starting to really cost me money. They’ve got about $150 of mine they shouldn’t have.”

News10NBC gave the state about four days to figure this out. Late Monday afternoon, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) called and said it was reversing all of the charges against Barbara. She was charged 16 times for $144.

We asked the NYS DMV how a state police car can have the same license plate as a private citizen.

“When State Police need a new fleet vehicle plate assigned, they contact DMV to ensure the plate configuration they’ve chosen is not already registered to someone else,” wrote Walt McClure, DMV spokesman. “We are now working with NYSP to replace the duplicative plate number.”

Here’s the thing: The New York State Police say the MTA has been wrongly charging state police cars in Manhattan. They are exempt from congestion pricing. State police told News10NBC that since January 1, the EZ-Pass cameras charged the state police $13,000 that it shouldn’t have charged.

“We are working with the MTA to get the charges on our account reversed,” wrote NYSP spokesman Beau Duffy.

“It’s crazy,” Barbara said, reacting to the EZ-Pass and state police problem she’s facing.

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