Not quite true. The current system involves a lot more inherent risk. Being scammed in PIN sales means just getting a bogus PIN... You ended up losing the $3-$4 that you spent on the PIN. Being scammed in an upgrade means your account/items are compromised, which (in the case of my own account) can value up to $300-$400+.
Fortunately, Upgrade sales have many 100% trusted members like Destiny.ch, King Tijn, etc. as options to eliminate the scamming potential.