Had to check to see when OP registered, though that's not even a true indicator of how long someone has been on the forum, what with alt accounts and all--and that's part of the problem that OP has brought up.

Any newbies here would be well-advised to do some reading on the Lending, Currency Exchange, Scam Accusations, and even the Services sections.  See how many people get tagged for scamming; see how many scams are being perpetrated and how they're executed.  This is the reason why members on bitcointalk are a bit paranoid and why people cry "SCAMMER!!" without even doing due diligence.  They just happen so often that one just assumes it's what's happening at the first sight of shadiness.

I don't know if they've increased, but they are most definitely numerous to the point of being nauseating.  It's good that we have a tight DT group that tags these morons when spotted.