Escrow is must to invest in any crowdsale I avoided this project because it was looking like Ebitz when we go without any safety about our funds. So many people learned lesson from these project to go with another one.
NEVER invest in a ico without ESCROW! NEVER. That's like rule number two right after making sure your wallets are always encrypted and backed up.
Why escrow or not the scam can still happen just as easily. With escrow, you are guaranteed to get the coins you purchased. Then the dev can do whatever he wants. Without escrow you may not get the coins. Either way if its a scam they will be worthless...