A man allegedly stole thousands of dollars from two people who lent him their phone after he told them a fake sob story about being locked out if his apartment, police said.

The scammer struck just after midnight on Jan. 14, according to police. He allegedly went up to a 21-year-old man and a 20-year-old woman on Christopher Street in Greenwich Village and asked if he could use a cellphone after he got locked out of his home.

He then asked to use a money transfer account on the victim's phone in or to pay for a locksmith, in exchange for cash. The suspect proceeded to take more than $5,700 from the victim's account and send it to an unknown bank account, police said, before running off south on Seventh Avenue.

The suspect is said to be between 25-30 years old, 5'10'' tall and about 180-200 pounds. He was last seen wearing a green jacket with orange letters, as well as black and orange sneakers.