Diablo 3 players have experienced scamming and seen items disappear then reappear in the game's Real Money Auction House.

The studio is clearly aware of the issue. "[W]e are definitely aware of the scams you and other players have reported and are working on improvements on the Trade window that should help prevent those type of scams from ocurring in the future. I've spoken with our developers about this issue, and I can assure you that they're passionate about finding a resolution and making it so that players can feel safe and confident about trading with each other again," Community Manager Lylirra stated in a reply to a user complaining about the issue.

Blizzard confirmed on its forums that it will be releasing a patch for Diablo 3 to stop cases of trade scamming in the game's Real Money Auction House. Blizzard added that the fix can't be implemented through a hotfix, instead requiring "a full client patch". However, "testing and implementation needs" can delay patches. In the meantime, Blizzard recommends that users avoid trading if possible, according to a lengthy post on the official game's forum. The problem is expected to be resolved in Patch 1.04.

One user suggested the studio should provide a warning window at log-in to inform players of ongoing scams, adding that people not frequenting forums would benefit from such a warning.

This is the latest issue to plague the dungeon crawler -- and the Real Money Auction House. Shortly after the May launch, disputes between Korean and Chinese players erupted due to the latter obtaining illegal copies. Blizzard had its Seoul office investigated because the company refused to give refunds to Korean players. More recently, gold and items were stolen from the Real Money Auction House, with the press reporting on an individual case. Despite these issues, Diablo III has sold 10 million copies, and led over 1 million subscribers to leave Blizzard's MMORPG World of Warcraft, according to a recent financial earnings report.

Users should e-mail hacks@blizzard.com, or complete a web form if they experience an incident, rather than creating a thread on the issue.