That depends on your definition of a scam.
Certainly a lot of information in such guides will be common sense, like "pick up everything and sell grey items" or tips on gathering materials to sell on the Auction House, or how to play the Auction House.
Many people who play World of Warcraft for a longer time will already have learnt these things by experience, but some people are less patient and buy these gold guides to try and earn more gold.
In essence, these guides are the writers' experience at making money put in print and sold for real money. It's not really a scam, but you could do without them.