The Ministry of Absorption filed a complaint with the police fraud squad Tuesday against a woman who has defrauded new immigrants for thousands of shekels by selling fictitious vacation packages at extraordinarily low prices.

The woman, whose identity is still unknown, has managed to con hundreds of new immigrants and collect thousands of shekels, all under the guise of working on behalf of the Ministry of Absorption.

According to ministry sources, the woman only accepts cash, and promises to return with reservation confirmation vouchers and more information on the vacation packages. She never does.

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The ministry sources said that she goes to places where there are new immigrants, like the Tel Aviv annex of the ministry where assistance is offered. There she offers vacation packages at low prices, in hotels throughout the country, in exchange for NIS 500.

"Most of the complaints come from the center of the country, but there are already a number of complaints about her in Ashdod and Ashkelon," a ministry source said Tuesday.

A Holon dentist had the following story to tell: "This woman came to my clinic and asked to make an appointment for her daughter. In passing she also said that she is selling vacation packages on behalf of the Ministry of Absorption. I asked about the price, and she said it was NIS 250 per person, for two nights and three days. When I told her that the price was ridiculous, she said that it was a rate subsidized by the Ministry of Absorption, where she said she worked. I paid her NIS 550 for a weekend at the Dead Sea, and also a down payment for another vacation package in Lake Kinneret. She promised to return with the vouchers and the information pamphlets in a couple of days, but she never did. She simply disappeared. When I realized I had been duped, I called the Ministry of Absorption and they told me that I am not the only one."

The ministry published a warning Tuesday for new immigrants, describing the woman who is pretending to be affiliated with the ministry.

"The fact that a sting operation is being carried out against new immigrants is particularly upseting," said Eran Halfon, director general at the Ministry of Absorption. "It is not merely the fraud, but she has rudely taken advantage of the innocence and weakness of the new immigrants. Our ministry has set up an emergency call center to gather evidence, and I hope the police will catch the cheater so that more immigrants will not be harmed."