Man accused of 'cancer' scam

An Auckland man is due to appear in court this week accused of cheating city churches out of hundreds of thousands of dollars on the pretext he needed money for cancer treatment.

The 39-year-old allegedly conned $500,000 out of churches over the last five years when he asked for help for his medical treatment and word of his "plight" spread over the city, the Sunday News reported today.

The money was used to fund his gambling addiction.

He is due in Auckland District Court later this week on a charge of obtaining money by deception.

- NZPA