Not necessarily true, I used to take loan for couple of months, I was forced because of my bad financial condition. marcotheminer was a lender back in the days and has turned into a borrower now. Probably he is passing worst days now. I am not vouching anyone here. Never give a loan without a valid collateral. And all of the borrowers giving a valid collateral must think of collateral scammers.
At the end of the day, always using a trusted escrow is the best deal.