It looks like it’s the “Year of the Snake” in East Harlem.

A creep has been slithering up to people of Asian descent in the neighborhood to beat and rob them — notching at least seven victims since Jan. 17.

Police are investigating whether the violent mugger, who uses his fist as a weapon, attacked his eighth victim yesterday. An Asian 57-year-old man was cornered around 10:45 a.m. yesterday in the elevator of the George Washington Houses on East 97th Street, sources said.

The brute, believed to be between 200 and 240 pounds, punched the victim in the face, breaking his nose, and stealing his wallet with $200 in it and a cell phone, sources said. Cops say he is a Hispanic man with light skin, between 6 feet tall and 6-foot-2.

Police Commissioner Kelly said he has dispatched anti-crime units to the area. He said the victims range in age from 25 to the mid 60s, four of them have been women and all of the attacks have occurred in East Harlem.

The spate of robberies are being investigated by the hate crimes unit, although Kelly stopped short of categorizing it as a hate crime.

One law enforcement source said Asian people are sometimes targeted because they tend to carry cash on them and may not use banks, said the source.

Councilwoman Melissa Mark-Vivetro called the attacks “extremely alarming.” While she was holding a press conference about the robberies yesterday the suspect was busy mugging his latest victim.

Between 2000 and 2010 the Asian population in her district has shot up from 1 to 3 percent, which includes East Harlem, Randall’s Island, and parts of the Upper West Side.

The “Year of the Snake,” which is the Chinese New Year, is celebrated on Feb. 10.

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