5) After paying, there will be a message saying "Sorry, this payment is expired" or something like that
6) They will apparently send the bitcoin back and the giftcard as well
You said that the bitcoin will be sent back? I don't think it was a scam if it would be back to the sender. Maybe it's just a system bug or a faulty program on the website. And why do you need to add a script to change the timezone and the deposit address? All legitimate transactions and offers doesn't need scripts just to run well.
If people use script/software that they don't understand at all or have good reputation, it's partially their fault for got scammed.
Indeed. I don't think scripts would even help their transactions to be smooth and fine. It's just making them riskier especially if they cannot understand the program well.