Posted 10 May 2013 - 07:28 AM
It certainly does sound a bit suspicious, but then again it could also be that the player is suspicious about buying through vends too. There's been all sorts of odd rumors and discovered bugs we fix over time, that some may not be aware were either fixed or are untrue.
In any case, if you decide to do a trade, be sure you closely inspect each item, take screenshots even, so that you are sure you are receiving what you expect. If, for whatever reason, you do not agree to the trade, do not confirm it. Additionally if, for whatever reason, you complete the trade and find out that the items you saw were not the ones you received, now we have a larger issue that needs to be reported. The idea that trades or vends can be manipulated between the moment of transaction is a scary thought but one we're very serious about addressing.
But, to state, there are no exploits that I am currently aware of that allows for this to take place, which we haven't addressed in the past already.
However, to directly answer your question, "Is it possible to scam via trade?" Yes. But the scam takes place on the receiver's trusting nature, to not fully inspect or check the items they are receiving. Be sure to closely inspect what you are getting, each time, that trade window opens.
I've seen it done on me many times, where they 'accidentally' close the vend, and 'put back' the item they wanted to trade me, only it was not the same item. Different stats, no refine, poor durability, etc. If they have issues committing to a simple trade, its likely they're just trying to scam you and are wasting your time. Be alert!