Cops are searching for a swindler who’s ripped off thousands of dollars from Brooklyn apartment-hunters, police said today.

The thief poses as a real-estate broker and preys on victims who stumble on his fake apartment listings online.

He then shows them unlocked, newly constructed homes — ones he doesn’t own or oversee — and the victims sign a phony lease agreement for them and fork over about $2,000 for a monthly security deposit, police sources said.

The suspect first struck Jan. 13 using a pad on Lewis Avenue near Dekalb Avenue in Bushwick and went on to target seven more victims with various other properties in February and March.

The scam was uncovered after the unsuspecting renters tried moving into the apartment. Anyone with any information is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS