Each year, a disturbing number of women fall prey to fraudsters posing as U.S. servicemen, who woo them long-distance, then ask for cash. "A couple of years ago we were getting hundreds of calls a year about this scam," says Christopher Grey of the Army Criminal Investigation Command. "Now we get thousands."

This is International Fraud Awareness Week, when various companies and nonprofit organizations work to educate people about how to avoid becoming victims of financial fraud. And we need the help: Last year, American consumers lost more than $1.7 billion to financial scams.

As Occupy Wall Street protestors chant about the criminals in the boardroom, actual thieves have spent years quietly running FirstPlus Financial, a Texas-based, publicly traded corporation.

Still scrambling to find a Halloween costume? Beware of ghoulish fraudsters looking to profit from your mad dash. Because Halloween stores are only open for a month or so, unscrupulous operators can take advantage of customers and then just disappear into the night.

Taking a cue from more high-end swindlers, a slew of violent gangs, including the Bloods, the Crips and the Latin Kings are branching out into mortgage fraud, identity theft, check counterfeiting and bank fraud, among other crimes.

"When it comes to curing acne, there's no app for that," said Federal Trade Commission Chairman, Jon Leibowitz, in response to a settlement reached on Wednesday between the FTC and three men charged with misleading claims that their smartphone apps could get rid of pimples.

As part of its effort to crack down on scams that target Americans in financial distress, the FTC has sued more than 30 debt collection companies. On Wednesday, another one, Rincon Debt Management made the list and was shut down. Do you know your rights against abusive debt collectors?

It can be tough to reconcile the two images of Juliette Kimoto: Mrs. Nevada 2006 and stay-at-home mom; and Internet scammer whom the FTC says ran a $30 million con. In our exclusive interview, she tells her side of the story, both pointing the finger at her ex-husband and defending what he did as just "marketing."

When Juliette Kimoto took to the stage to accept her crown as Mrs. Nevada in 2006, she seemed an obvious fit for the coveted pageant title. What she declined to mention, however, was that she was also engaged in an online operation that would eventually rob tens of thousands of people of $30 million.

The gradual addition of extra fees to your cellphone bill can be a bit like gaining weight -- you don't keep track of your habits, until one day you open your bill and experience "bill shock." The FCC thinks you deserve advanced warning, and starting soon, your cell provider will have to give it to you.