A clue on how to make them see that bitcoin isn't a scam

[Chris Barth]

I did some analysis and have come to understand that majority of us are afraid to tell people about bitcoin because people see it as a scam and maybe, it could implicate us. But then, I think I know a good way you can convince them that bitcoin isn't scam.

You could simply bring out a dollar (or any fiat you have in your pocket) then ask him/her what that is. For sure, 'money' will be the answer. Then ask him this simple question; "if someone happens to scam you and take all your dollars, does it mean that dollar is a scam?"
Or, you could rephrase the last line to; "does it mean that dollar was made for scamming people?"

Try to be very polite when asking such questions. Try to make them understand that everything that has a use has a misuse too. Be descriptive!
They need to understand that bitcoin is simply a currency like Dollar, Euro, Cedis, etc. (except for the fact it is a digital currency).

I believe that was helpful.

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[AB de Royse777]

I do not think this is the case for some people to get scared about bitcoin. For them money means to have a central authority, a bank to issue and anything that does not have this authority and institution then it's not money.

They are just brain washed and soon they will realized that they have been tricked by people in the power and move to crypto which is decentralized.

If you really want to educate people about bitcoin then first educate them how the traditional money works[1][2] and the benefit for the people in power for it and then explain them the benefit to have a decentralized currency.

1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mQUhJTxK5mA
2. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZoBPCODfMGw

[DabsPoorVersion]

I did some analysis and have come to understand that majority of us are afraid to tell people about bitcoin because people see it as a scam and maybe, it could implicate us. But then, I think I know a good way you can convince them that bitcoin isn't scam.

You could simply bring out a dollar (or any fiat you have in your pocket) then ask him/her what that is. For sure, 'money' will be the answer. Then ask him this simple question; "if someone happens to scam you and take all your dollars, does it mean that dollar is a scam?"
Or, you could rephrase the last line to; "does it mean that dollar was made for scamming people?"

Try to be very polite when asking such questions. Try to make them understand that everything that has a use has a misuse too. Be descriptive!
They need to understand that bitcoin is simply a currency like Dollar, Euro, Cedis, etc. (except for the fact it is a digital currency).

I believe that was helpful.

I believe that this might become an effective way to convince people to know and understand more about bitcoin.
In any case, I know that there are still some that will not hear any of your words or maybe they will think as "dollar cannot be compared to bitcoin, as this is fiat and not something to be used through online". It is what we call fear of the unknown.

[danherbias07]

That is, if they will give you that enough time.
Most of them will ignore you from the start.
How are you going to start the conversation? What if they asked, "Where is this going?" at the very start of it.
It is easy to be polite to people and explain it with patience. But do they have the same kind of patience?
After the explanation of everything, if it goes smoothly. What is the next step?

[Chris Barth]

I do not think this is the case for some people to get scared about bitcoin. For them money means to have a central authority, a bank to issue and anything that does not have this authority and institution then it's not money.

If that is what they think, then tell them that they themselves are authorities. They should have more power over their money than the bank. After all, it's theirs!

They are just brain washed and soon they will realized that they have been tricked by people in the power and move to crypto which is decentralized.

Waiting for them to realise delays the adoption of bitcoin. I believe it's best to tell them otherwise, they may not stop transactions with the bank because the bank has always been their normal way.

[airdnasxela]

That could work but the question is, are they really interested in Bitcoin? That's easy to say but that's not enough to convince them not to be afraid of Bitcoin. Because they still know that there's a lot of scammer in crypto. I think that's what they are afraid of. It's hard to convince others if they don't want to be convinced.

Actually what you have said is a good point to argue with them. But that won't make them trust Bitcoin as well. It will just help them realize that it's not Bitcoin that is a scam, it's a person.

[avikz]

I did some analysis and have come to understand that majority of us are afraid to tell people about bitcoin because people see it as a scam and maybe, it could implicate us. But then, I think I know a good way you can convince them that bitcoin isn't scam.

Majority of the common people don't see bitcoin as a scam. I am saying this from my personal experience because I have spoken to a number of people regarding bitcoin. Definitely the outlook varies from places to places, but I have seen people consider it as illegal in my country, rather than a scam. This situation is very difficult to change because of its legal status in many countries!

In majority of the countries, bitcoin doesn't have a legal status! It is either banned from government or banned from banking channel. Which certainly creates a misconception about bitcoin in the minds of the people. We all need to fight against that misconception firstly to make people understand about bitcoin.

[Chris Barth]

That is, if they will give you that enough time.
Most of them will ignore you from the start.
How are you going to start the conversation? What if they asked, "Where is this going?" at the very start of it.
It is easy to be polite to people and explain it with patience. But do they have the same kind of patience?
After the explanation of everything, if it goes smoothly. What is the next step?

These are thoughful questions and thanks for asking them.
I believe that people give more listening ears when what they are hearing isn't something common. And if he/she asks where the conversation is going to, you can simply tell the person that it's for their own good. About a week ago or so, I held a bitcoin meeting and before they could speak, I clearly told them that we have absolutely nothing to gain. With this, they knew that we came to help them.

Know, if it goes smoothly, the next step shouldn't be installing a bitcoin wallet for them. Nah! After they've heard the advantages and all, proceed on telling them how bitcoin works. There's a huge difference between the advantages of a plane and how a plane works. So, until they have understood how it works, then they could either open a wallet (by themselves out of the knowledge they've gotten both from you and their researches) or you could help them with that.

[Chris Barth]

Majority of the common people don't see bitcoin as a scam. I am saying this from my personal experience because I have spoken to a number of people regarding bitcoin. Definitely the outlook varies from places to places, but I have seen people consider it as illegal in my country, rather than a scam. This situation is very difficult to change because of its legal status in many countries!

In majority of the countries, bitcoin doesn't have a legal status! It is either banned from government or banned from banking channel. Which certainly creates a misconception about bitcoin in the minds of the people. We all need to fight against that misconception firstly to make people understand about bitcoin.

Honestly, I haven't heard someone around me say it's a scam. I keep hearing it from forum members so I had to find a way such mindset can be changed.

Regarding bitcoin being legal, I understand this and I know this is one of the big things to be tackled but then, in some countries where Christianity isn't accepted, there are still Christians there, and they do their prayers (even tho in secret). Or, we could just focus on those who's country doesn't label it scam. Before we're done with them, the other countries must have bent down and reconsider their decision.

[thesmallgod]

This will only apply to people that have been scam or being told that bitcoin is a scam. The majority of the people that do not want to have anything to do with bitcoin are people who has been scam before including those that have participated in crypto investment. Either through Ponzi scheme or crypto-based project via IEO or ICO everyone. Aside from this category of people, others that have fear for it include the people who have lost money to trading due to volatility related issue. I believe the most important and holistic way to discuss bitcoin is by first telling them about the power of blockchain technology just the way people discuss some programming language such as java, python etc. then later you can introduce the person to bitcoin

[DoublerHunter]

Well for me, the best thing is not to make them believe about Bitcoin. Not all people need to know that Bitcoin is not a scam. If they are thinking that Bitcoin is a scam, let them be. You wouldn't even benefit from them believing in the legitimacy of the Bitcoin. If they really are open-minded, they will be the ones who would know that Bitcoin is a big story compared to the details they have seen on the media. They would know that all of the information on the media are one-sided, bias. Nevertheless, let them think that it's a scam and keep on using Bitcoin as your advantage.

[gentlemand]

I rarely mention it to people. If they told me it was a scam I'd simply wink and carry on.

If someone believes it's a scam when thousands of legit companies are building around it, the price is listed in newspaper finance columns and certain governments are legitimising it then good luck to them. I'm certainly not going to waste any of my own energy disavowing such mindlessness.

[hatshepsut93]

I rarely mention it to people. If they told me it was a scam I'd simply wink and carry on.

If someone believes it's a scam when thousands of legit companies are building around it, the price is listed in newspaper finance columns and certain governments are legitimising it then good luck to them. I'm certainly not going to waste any of my own energy disavowing such mindlessness.

this^

Being cautious is a very good thing, but some people take it way too far (and often very selectively), so they view quite legitimate things untrustworthy. Just like there will always be antivaxxers, science denialists, conspiracy nuts - there will also always be people who view cryptocurrencies as scams or a bubble that will soon crash to the ground - and these people feel good about themselves because they see the "truth". You can't change their mind, so don't waste your time.

[Docnaster]

Of all the people I have ever spoken to about Bitcoin, I don't think I have ever heard anybody say it's a scam. The worst I've heard is that it's a fairy tale and that it will never work.

The only people who say it's a scam have likely already formed a negative opinion on it. It would be more productive to spend your time promoting Bitcoin to people who don't have an issue with it already, e.g. Bitcoin agnostics.

Once we have all the agnostics on-board, the anti-bitcoiners will have no choice but to come around.

[samcrypto]

People think its a scam because of having a little knowledge about bitcoin. I remember my friend told me this before that his boss says that bitcoin is a scam and ask him to leave as soon as possible, we just both laughed at it. Some projects is a scam and that is already part of cryptomarket but bitcoin itself is not so only if they know this I’m sure they will just smile to the haters. If you don’t feel to share insights about bitcoin then its ok but if you do want to help your friends and change their perception about bitcoin, then explain the bad side first.

[YuginKadoya]

in my opinion, if a person would not believe what you have said just let it be and move on to your life because I believe that if a person is not interested with things or some things like Bitcoin it is just too hard to convince them because their mind is closed for further improvement or new things, and mainly if many people know that you have Bitcoin you are an open target to criminals because your security is in jeopardize,

So I think just do what you do best and people you know will eventually approach you and ask how did you do such feat? then you would surely tell them about Bitcoin I guess they would believe you this time that bitcoin is real because they are interested right now.

[crzy]

If they got scammed in the name of bitcoin then it will be hard to convince them but at least give it a try to educate them. If they only this bitcoin is a scam without experiencing it then its be more easy to teach them about bitcoin. I have my close friend who don’t believe on bitcoin before, and I started to teach and guide him about bitcoin, now he believes that bitcoin is not a scam anymore and its on a positive side now.

[AmoreJaz]

If they got scammed in the name of bitcoin then it will be hard to convince them but at least give it a try to educate them. If they only this bitcoin is a scam without experiencing it then its be more easy to teach them about bitcoin. I have my close friend who don’t believe on bitcoin before, and I started to teach and guide him about bitcoin, now he believes that bitcoin is not a scam anymore and its on a positive side now.

it shows that educating people about bitcoin or crypto will give them a new perspective towards digital currencies. so ignorance is the common reason why many people are seeing bitcoin as a scam. those who don't know the true nature or the benefits that they can derived from using it, will always have the negative outlook on crypto. and those who experienced loss without sufficient knowledge before investing will feed misinformation to his colleagues based on his experience. so yeah, you cant please all the people surrounding you. they will know in time how valuable it is to deal with crypto, don't rush!
you can assist others that are willing to listen and learn more about crypto but those that already shut their eyes, leave them be. you should not force the use of crypto to anybody, give them the space to learn and realise things the way it should be...

[LbtalkL]

In my country bitcoin name has been damage by this Ponzi scam website, ICO's scam, and a lot of other scams and they use bitcoin as a payment method. That is why if they heard of bitcoin some say it is a scam but they didn't get it as you say it is just like a dollar a digital money, a digital currency. Ignorance is dangerous. As an individual, I encourage my friends to watch some videos about bitcoins. For sure a time will come that everyone will be aware of cryptocurrency I am waiting for china and japan tokenizing their own national currency I think they are already planning and developing it.

[Chris Barth]

In my country bitcoin name has been damage by this Ponzi scam website, ICO's scam, and a lot of other scams and they use bitcoin as a payment method. That is why if they heard of bitcoin some say it is a scam but they didn't get it as you say it is just like a dollar a digital money, a digital currency. Ignorance is dangerous. As an individual, I encourage my friends to watch some videos about bitcoins. For sure a time will come that everyone will be aware of cryptocurrency I am waiting for china and japan tokenizing their own national currency I think they are already planning and developing it.

watch some videos about bitcoins

Watch videos about bitcoin? I'll be posting one tonight!! Maybe if we can share it, it'll help.

[FaithInCrypto]

I rarely mention it to people. If they told me it was a scam I'd simply wink and carry on.

If someone believes it's a scam when thousands of legit companies are building around it, the price is listed in newspaper finance columns and certain governments are legitimising it then good luck to them. I'm certainly not going to waste any of my own energy disavowing such mindlessness.

My thoughts exactly!
I'd rather spend my time building my riches with cryptocurrency than spend time explaining to them what Bitcoin is. It's hard to convince people who don't have a real interest at first, they will only find faults on what you do. Let cryptocurrency speak to them when you bought a car, house or something valuable as they'll probably ask you where did you get the money to spend on things like this. I've learned about Bitcoin through a friend but it is not some spoonfeeding that took place. He did not explain how Bitcoin works, I guess everyday exposure help me learn something about it.

[Viscore]

They'll know that bitcoin is legit if they are interested on it.
At first maybe the impression is bad especially that there's a lot of scams in the crypto space and bitcoin is affected with that.

However, if a person is really interested to know, you don't have to explain everything like you are spoon feeding some information as that is not effective, the best way is to direct them to a site or even youtube that they can find a lot of information telling bitcoin is not a scam.

[nennanem]

People around me often say that modern crypto services (wallets, exchanges, etc.) do not have a good degree of security. People believe that it is easier for scammers to steal cryptocurrency than ordinary fiat money. And they will be right. In my opinion, at the moment the situation has exactly this form. Therefore, we don't need to blame people for the fact that they are wrong when they don't trust Bitcoin. They are partially right. But this doesn't mean that cryptocurrency is something unreliable. It just takes some time for crypto services to become more reliable.

[pixie85]

The basic psychology of talking to someone about the things you wantthem to see in a positive way is not to bring out negative connotations. You just don't use the word scam until they do and divert them from the word as quickly as possible.

If they ask they heard about bitcoin scams you just say that the number of these scams is still much lower than the ones done in the fiat world.

[Debonaire217]

I rarely mention it to people. If they told me it was a scam I'd simply wink and carry on.

Does it sometimes means that if you wink, then people might think that you are really imparting them that bitcoin is a scam? I think other gesture might be better other than winking, or maybe, we have a different culture where people could perceive gestures differently.

If someone believes it's a scam when thousands of legit companies are building around it, the price is listed in newspaper finance columns and certain governments are legitimising it then good luck to them. I'm certainly not going to waste any of my own energy disavowing such mindlessness.

That is the problem between people and bitcoin, they are thinking that bitcoin is scam, despite of all the news and trends about it, they are believing in someone they didn't know other than researching by their own. The problem is when people use bitcoin name to create a ponzi investment scheme that aims for scamming people. Bitcoin investment is through various exchanges or hodling it to your wallet, and not with investing with people where you get nothing but a word full of confirmation.

[Baby Dragon]

I rarely mention it to people. If they told me it was a scam I'd simply wink and carry on.

If someone believes it's a scam when thousands of legit companies are building around it, the price is listed in newspaper finance columns and certain governments are legitimising it then good luck to them. I'm certainly not going to waste any of my own energy disavowing such mindlessness.

My thoughts exactly!
I'd rather spend my time building my riches with cryptocurrency than spend time explaining to them what Bitcoin is. It's hard to convince people who don't have a real interest at first, they will only find faults on what you do. Let cryptocurrency speak to them when you bought a car, house or something valuable as they'll probably ask you where did you get the money to spend on things like this. I've learned about Bitcoin through a friend but it is not some spoonfeeding that took place. He did not explain how Bitcoin works, I guess everyday exposure help me learn something about it.

Point well made, you don't actually need to demonstrate anything to anybody just to make them to understand that bitcoin isn't a scam. It will be just a waste of effort if they aren't open for clarification, you don't need to constrain individuals to make them see the real value and purpose of bitcoin because it was skilled enough on refuting them. Individuals will never change their standpoint straightforwardly, they will search the negative side of bitcoin to fight for their perspective. They won't acknowledge your supposition because they can't concede that you have a point. In addition, what would we be able to expect with individuals these days? isn't it too common? especially when it's clear that a large portion of them continue on believing some phony news with regards to bitcoin without even doing their own research. Personally, the idea isn't bad but to think about people's different levels of perception? there's a huge possibility that it won't work, they might just end up looking for proofs to make you realize that you picked the wrong side.

[Sanugarid]

I rarely mention it to people. If they told me it was a scam I'd simply wink and carry on.

Does it sometimes means that if you wink, then people might think that you are really imparting them that bitcoin is a scam? I think other gesture might be better other than winking, or maybe, we have a different culture where people could perceive gestures differently.

If someone believes it's a scam when thousands of legit companies are building around it, the price is listed in newspaper finance columns and certain governments are legitimising it then good luck to them. I'm certainly not going to waste any of my own energy disavowing such mindlessness.

That is the problem between people and bitcoin, they are thinking that bitcoin is scam, despite of all the news and trends about it, they are believing in someone they didn't know other than researching by their own. The problem is when people use bitcoin name to create a ponzi investment scheme that aims for scamming people. Bitcoin investment is through various exchanges or hodling it to your wallet, and not with investing with people where you get nothing but a word full of confirmation.

Absolutely, they are thinking and saying that bitcoin is a scam without even knowing how good bitcoin really is, they don't actually know how to use bitcoin so who they are to say that bitcoin is a scam. When you have encounter people like this, just told them that you must know the truth, and don't waste your time giving reasons because they might not believe it. Just show them the result of how much money you got getting involved with bitcoin.

The way I do for people around me to believe in Bitcoin is to show the results of the Bitcoin. For example I can buy a motorcycle because I invest in Bitcoin. Because, showing evidence will be easier to believe than we just saying.

This is the perfect example to show them that bitcoin is not a scam. Because you can confidently say that you got this stuff because of bitcoin using your own knowledge and techniques. Results are a better way to show them, it is easier for them to believe because they will not if you just keep on talking.

[gentlemand]

Does it sometimes means that if you wink, then people might think that you are really imparting them that bitcoin is a scam? I think other gesture might be better other than winking, or maybe, we have a different culture where people could perceive gestures differently.

I prefer to leave them wondering. I know what people are like when it comes to this type of thing. There's no point in talking them in or out of anything. They'll continue to believe what they choose to believe and nothing you do or say or put in front of them will change it. I'm not going to waste my or their time.

[mahilchii]

The majority of the people are aware of bitcoin and how it sky rocket in 2017, most of them are only scared about their privacy..... Yes we have even seen a lot of cases here like my bitcoins were hacked!!!!

Apart from that many people are afraid of massive dump because no one in the world cannot afford to lose their hard earned money they need only profit also they do not have plans for longer term. Such cases are very challenging to understand apart from it the majority already knows what Bitcoin Is.

[finaleshot2016]

Most of the people that I knew knows bitcoin as a legit asset since I show them that I've received profit from it. You can explain cryptocurrency is like a stocks, same market but different assets. Only the old generations are the one who always give contradiction towards bitcoin 'cause they aren't aware of the capabilities of our technology now. They're also the ones who always being afraid to get scammed' cause they wanted to stick on the common acts of their era.

[gundala]

Very easy to understand analogy from the OP. Negative reporting in the media does have quite serious effects, I feel it for myself. When my friend found out I was involved with bitcoin he immediately warned me to leave it, it was a fraud he said. Whereas fiat can also be a tool of the crime if it is used by criminals, so whether or not cryptocurrency is good, especially bitcoin, depends on who uses it.
Well, it is different for the case of scams, Ponzi, and other fraud cases, we really have to be aware of, indirectly it gives a bad effect from the view of the wider community related to bitcoin. The simple thing we can do is to correct the news that is less precise and provide a correct understanding of bitcoin.

[maxreish]

Here's how you can show that bitcoin isn't a scam thing:
"Self proof"
Simply show your own bitcoin. Tell your own story, how was the process and the progress. Then they can simply look the positive side of it if they can see the success outcome from you. That's how I usually do within the family members who are "really" interested about buying and investing btc.

[lienfaye]

For someone that is open minded it can be an effective explanation for them to understand what bitcoin really is. But because crypto is a digital currency and some people who are not expose in this new technology often say its just a scam because it has no physical features unlike fiat.

In my case whenever I encounter a person who seems interested in crypto, I explain about it while let him/her watch a videos showing how it works. Then if he has a further question thats how I tell my own experience and proof of using and earning from it.

[qwertyup23]

<snip...>

Removing a stigma from something that has been heavily influenced by the media as a 'scam' can be significantly difficult especially if you are dealing with people who are ignorant of listening to the facts.

One of the ways in order to at least convince them that bitcoin is not a scam is through showing your actual earnings. Show results by showing them the process of earning and the actual fruits of your income through your investments. Another way is to educate them and introduce this forum. I know lots of people who firstly doubt cryptocurrencies but the irony is, they are now members of this forum!

[Meowth05]

Technically, Bitcoin is just like other FIAT currency like USD, EURO, Pounds and more but have a little difference because it is digital currency yet decentralized. Bitcoin is not scam it is just only being used in shady scheme just like any other currency. It only serve as a tool, remember that even in our commonly used currency these scheme is still in there.

Now talking how to make people believe that it isn't scam, probably we could just share our experiences and news that there are now countries who used to accept these type of currency in their market. Frankly, it is hard to commercialize Bitcoin especially if people believe that it only brings negative impact simply closes their mind upon using this new monetary system.

[Strongkored]

The thought that Bitcoin is a scam happened a few years before or around 2010-2015, after which they realized that Bitcoin was not a scam but they were again trapped in the wrong thinking which is that Bitcoin is a tool to get rich quick.
I don't really care about that fact unless the person asks me directly, if it's just a person's thinking I don't think needs to be cared for because people with that mindset are used to things like HYIP.

[slaman29]

My thoughts exactly!
I'd rather spend my time building my riches with cryptocurrency than spend time explaining to them what Bitcoin is. It's hard to convince people who don't have a real interest at first, they will only find faults on what you do. Let cryptocurrency speak to them when you bought a car, house or something valuable as they'll probably ask you where did you get the money to spend on things like this. I've learned about Bitcoin through a friend but it is not some spoonfeeding that took place. He did not explain how Bitcoin works, I guess everyday exposure help me learn something about it.

I don't know about building riches with crypto. I'd rather just use Bitcoin on my own and if people ask me about I'll tell them I use it. If they ask me if it's a scam, I'll tell them I don't think it is, and I know for sure it's not possible to be a scam and if they want to know more and seem curious I'll talk a little but my advice always is to tell them to go online look up bitcoin.org and if they want to know more ask me.

[julius caesar]

All you need to do is to become successful on your bitcoin career first. Prove them that there is a real money on bitcoin. Show them that you are able to gain income just by doing task given to receive bitcoin. Some of them do not believe because they are not been given a proof. Also, try to introduce them what bitcoin is and its use.

[Daniel91]

In my country btc had bad reputation for a  very long time because of many news that crimminals using btc etc.
Also,  some people are very afraid even to use credit cards  online to buy different products or pay for the services and generally, mostly because of media influence,  average people are skeptic about btc.
But recently public opinion changed about crypto because Croatian post offered new service to the public,  crypto exchange.
Now,  because of it some of my friends became interesting in btc again and don't think anymore that btc is scam.
It's obvious that btc reputation is restored because such important company stand behind btc.

[NotATether]

In my country btc had bad reputation for a  very long time because of many news that crimminals using btc etc.
Also,  some people are very afraid even to use credit cards  online to buy different products or pay for the services and generally, mostly because of media influence,  average people are skeptic about btc.
But recently public opinion changed about crypto because Croatian post offered new service to the public,  crypto exchange.
Now,  because of it some of my friends became interesting in btc again and don't think anymore that btc is scam.
It's obvious that btc reputation is restored because such important company stand behind btc.

The popular opinion about bitcoin is that it's more "hacker's money" because of all the ransomware news, cryptojacking news despite cryptojacking usually mining Monero, and other security news reports that have something to do with bitcoin. So all this causes most people to stay away from it because they can't find any other uses for it.

The other popular opinion about bitcoin is that it's just an investment vehicle, something that will make you rich if you buy it. It certainly shows when the first thing bitcoin newbies search for is how to mine bitcoins.

[Kupid002]

The way I do for people around me to believe in Bitcoin is to show the results of the Bitcoin. For example I can buy a motorcycle because I invest in Bitcoin. Because, showing evidence will be easier to believe than we just saying.

having a motor  cycle is not an evidence they can think that its from other ponzi scheme that you are participating not direct to bitcoin. Bitcoin is not good all the time and it takes time to get that profit from your investment in bitcoin. The base thing you can do is teach how is bitcoin really working and how they secured their asset once they invested thats the only basic you can teach them and other things will follow.

[shield132]

Seriously, today I had some debate with vice-chairman of ministry of economy and sustainable development of Georgia about whether bitcoin is good or not. We were talking about virtual money and then this task came to my mind. I explained her that banks and centralized system aren't good, as a result we get huge fall in USD's cost of value (can say the same on national currencies). Fed is private company, they print money as they wish and create debt that we have to pay. Bitcoin can fix these problems at some point, it's people's, our currency and not modified exclusively for government to manage it as they wish. Bitcoin helps us to have transactions without help of 3rd parties... In overall I talked about a lot of benefits that bitcoin carries but I was super amazed from her answer. She was saying the same over and over again, bitcoin is used for money laundering and etc things. Yeah, that's true but also it's not only bitcoin to blame, then blame PC and internet creator, blame Linux, Tor and VPN creator cause combination of all of this makes it possible to send anonymous transaction and receive what you have to get.
I reminded her that Deutsche bank and others were also in money laundering but she said, they all will be caught. I don't think so and sad fact is that she just don't want to listen to me and is strictly on her opinion.

[seoincorporation]

The easy way to make them see that bitcoin isn't a scam is whit the market capitalization... If it's a scam then it's a $171,736,498,726 scam, if it were a scam govs would already be blocked, and people would just stay away from it after getting scammed.

On think is that we can get scammed and lose our coins, but that doesn't make from the coin a scam.

[serjent05]

I did some analysis and have come to understand that majority of us are afraid to tell people about bitcoin because people see it as a scam and maybe, it could implicate us. But then, I think I know a good way you can convince them that bitcoin isn't scam.

You could simply bring out a dollar (or any fiat you have in your pocket) then ask him/her what that is. For sure, 'money' will be the answer. Then ask him this simple question; "if someone happens to scam you and take all your dollars, does it mean that dollar is a scam?"
Or, you could rephrase the last line to; "does it mean that dollar was made for scamming people?"

Try to be very polite when asking such questions. Try to make them understand that everything that has a use has a misuse too. Be descriptive!
They need to understand that bitcoin is simply a currency like Dollar, Euro, Cedis, etc. (except for the fact it is a digital currency).

I believe that was helpful.

Honestly, if people think that Bitcoin is a scam, I never bother to prove to them that it is not a scam.  It is their loss and government had already acknowledged that Bitcoin is legit and to some, it is a legal tender or mode of payment.  Those who think Bitcoin is a scam are already decided to believe that and it will only put us to an argument that I am not comfortable with. 

The easy way to make them see that bitcoin isn't a scam is whit the market capitalization... If it's a scam then it's a $171,736,498,726 scam, if it were a scam govs would already be blocked, and people would just stay away from it after getting scammed.

On think is that we can get scammed and lose our coins, but that doesn't make from the coin a scam.

It does not worth it.  They don't care about market capitalization. All they care is their perception towards Bitcoin.  I believe with news and government regulation and acceptance, they will change their point of view with Bitcoin.

It is better to convince the authority than the normal person who doesn't care whether what they believe is true or not and follow what the government stance towards cryptocurrency.

The keyword here I think is RESPECT. and PATIENCE.  In due time those who are hesitant about Bitcoin will believe in it not because we explain it to them but because the government had acknowledged Bitcoin as legal.

[vintages]

It's easy to say but not that easy to implement, many won't give you the chance to explain it. Moreover, it's always difficult to change people's perception about things they have different believe on.
So, instead of trying hard to convince them, try to make them see the advantages in it. Let them understand the whole concept themselves.

[BITCOIN4X]

The easy way to make them see that bitcoin isn't a scam is whit the market capitalization

I am not sure market capitalization can make them understand and not think negatively about what we explain.
I just wouldnt want to explain to them in detail if they never had the belief that bitcoin is something special in this era. Explaining it will only waste time and not make them sure.

I deliberately introduced bitcoin to a number of people who had never even heard of it, even though it was only a name. But I was quite surprised by his reaction, they were just afraid I was directing them to illegal and infringing things and they were also afraid that I was trying to enrich myself with their money. Because of this, I no longer want to explain intentionally to anyone but those who ask first.

~snip
So, instead of trying hard to convince them, try to make them see the advantages in it. Let them understand the whole concept themselves.

It would be better to encourage them to find out more about bitcoin by giving them a reading reference. I think it will be more beneficial for them, and we dont need to bother convincing those who have different perceptions because its like we are talking on the wall.

[fiulpro]

For the starters the headlines make it feel like it is a scam.
As long as you don't care about your words you won't be able to convince someone otherwise.
You know what influences people the most. ?
Money
For the starters you could help your friends and family explore how they can earn with the help of bitcoins , with the help of campaigns and trust me it works the best , at the end of the day one will start believing in something if that particular thing is paying them is what I believe.

[beerlover]

You have quite a really good idea for convincing people and I might be trying that out someday. Though most people I have met, the problem is not that they think Bitcoin is a scam, the problem is mainly that they are afraid that the money they put into Bitcoin they might lose it.

There is one of my colleagues that likes Bitcoin but the fear of losing his money keeps discouraging him from buying Bitcoin. He’s always afraid, and the worst part is that sometimes the price of Bitcoin would go up and he would start regretting why he never invested, and then within a short while it drop and his fears will come up again and he’d start he’s lucky for not investing lol. I stopped talking to him about it because I understood he doesn’t have enough money so there isn’t money to risk.

[Reatim]

I did some analysis and have come to understand that majority of us are afraid to tell people about bitcoin because people see it as a scam and maybe, it could implicate us. But then, I think I know a good way you can convince them that bitcoin isn't scam.

actually i am not afraid of telling them just to think about scams what i am afraid is  if i tell people that i am into bitcoin then my currency will be at risk because our country is one of the most expert hacker in the world so i am keep safe my currency so i only tell to limited people instead of broadcasting everywhere.

You could simply bring out a dollar (or any fiat you have in your pocket) then ask him/her what that is. For sure, 'money' will be the answer. Then ask him this simple question; "if someone happens to scam you and take all your dollars, does it mean that dollar is a scam?"
Or, you could rephrase the last line to; "does it mean that dollar was made for scamming people?"

Try to be very polite when asking such questions. Try to make them understand that everything that has a use has a misuse too. Be descriptive!
They need to understand that bitcoin is simply a currency like Dollar, Euro, Cedis, etc. (except for the fact it is a digital currency).

I believe that was helpful.

but nice explanation there mate,i think i would be love using this on how may i encourage people specially those around me to invest and trust Bitcoin,thanks for that mate you are really a Genius .

[Chris Barth]

but nice explanation there mate,i think i would be love using this on how may i encourage people specially those around me to invest and trust Bitcoin,thanks for that mate you are really a Genius .

Haha. Thanks man. I really appreciate the fact that you find it a nice idea. There are many other ways to do this, I just had to figure out at least one way.

[Ailmand]

You can't blame people from having a different assumption regarding crypto, the social media, news, and investment scheme that had used crypto to scam other people left a different definition in crypto.

I had tried explaining to some people what crypto is and majority of the reply I get is if ever it is a scam as what they see or hear in the news or social media.

What I think is, bitcoin or cryptocurrency awareness or the truth about bitcoin will come out to the mass naturally even if crypto enthusiast make effort for it's adaptation or not. Bitcoin or cryptocurrency just like the internet, when it first started, will surely be art of our daily lives in the future and everyone will be aware of it.

[DdmrDdmr]

<…> They need to understand that bitcoin is simply a currency like Dollar, Euro, Cedis, etc. (except for the fact it is a digital currency). <…>

But it’s really not that simple … from the perspective of those round me, their day to day usage of fiat for making their purchases can, currently, in no way be even remotely replaced by Bitcoin. There is simply no way they are going to change their purchasing habits by trying to use a reduced set of stores instead of their usual ones, so Bitcoin comes nowhere close to their mind from a commerce point of view (let alone ease of use). From an investment point of view, it’s a high risk product, and as such, in general, one does not tend to go around recommending investments of the kind.
 
Now on a more reduced scale, some people in my environment may be more prone to understanding Bitcoin, and look into it, but that is because they have a certain maturity and technical background. If the discussion arises (and it has), then there’s an interesting story to tell, but modus propi trying to push it on them is a no go for me.

[imstillthebest]

It's easy to say but not that easy to implement, many won't give you the chance to explain it. Moreover, it's always difficult to change people's perception about things they have different believe on.

you mean they will just walk away right after you talk bitcon stuffs to them ? but why .  that will only make them bad if they wont listen on you.  why can they just listen first and make an excuse if ever they arent comfortable of what your talking about  . that would be acceptable then. 

So, instead of trying hard to convince them, try to make them see the advantages in it. Let them understand the whole concept themselves.

that is imposible to happen if the person dont show any interest right from the start.  that is why people make effort to encourage others in the form of easy to understand words so that those people can understand bitcoin is a not confusive way

[LogitechMouse]

~

If the person who you are speaking with is an open-minded person and have a bit of background when it regards to investing into different investment like stocks then this will work.

Now if you will speak to an ordinary person who doesn't know anything regarding Bitcoin and crypto in general, most of the times you will be ignored unless you are good talker and you convinced him/her to speak with you for a good amount of time. Now can this kind of question make them to invest into Bitcoin? Probably no for me. Yes there is a chance that their thinking with Bitcoin will change but they will not invest into it immediately. Its either they will just ignore it or they will take the risk and will try to invest into it.

[redsun114]

You have quite a really good idea for convincing people and I might be trying that out someday. Though most people I have met, the problem is not that they think Bitcoin is a scam, the problem is mainly that they are afraid that the money they put into Bitcoin they might lose it.

There is one of my colleagues that likes Bitcoin but the fear of losing his money keeps discouraging him from buying Bitcoin. He’s always afraid, and the worst part is that sometimes the price of Bitcoin would go up and he would start regretting why he never invested, and then within a short while it drop and his fears will come up again and he’d start he’s lucky for not investing lol. I stopped talking to him about it because I understood he doesn’t have enough money so there isn’t money to risk.

Only people who might not have enough money to risk might find these kind of ways. Your colleague actually speculated the pump and an instant dump but he would never ever have though how vast profits he could have made from such volatile markets if ever he gained some basic information about trading. He/she might just be giving out bogus expressions if they really never have any desire to invest into such markets.

Such people actually have no right to say anything about the markets. I tried to teach one of my friend about bitcoins trading and thanks to god, he was one of the most interested individual who wanted to start into bitcoins as sooner as possible. Now, that same friend owns a self-earned car only because he stated trading with bitcoins at a correct time.

[fullhdpixel]

People not only fear bitcoins because they can be a medium to loose funds or to get scammed easily but also other important factors make a lot of people fear about bitcoins. Negative effects or media plays a important role in this situation. We have seen that until today, majority of the news has been opposing bitcoins and each and every individual indirectly depends on such media platforms. That is where their fear rises and it never allows them to start using bitcoins.

Your simple way can make people understand the phenomenon of bitcoins but yet they would hardly start regulating bitcoins if the government from their country keeps calling bitcoins as a bubble or scam or anything similar.

[Gumpfire]

I did some analysis and have come to understand that majority of us are afraid to tell people about bitcoin because people see it as a scam and maybe, it could implicate us. But then, I think I know a good way you can convince them that bitcoin isn't scam.

You could simply bring out a dollar (or any fiat you have in your pocket) then ask him/her what that is. For sure, 'money' will be the answer. Then ask him this simple question; "if someone happens to scam you and take all your dollars, does it mean that dollar is a scam?"
Or, you could rephrase the last line to; "does it mean that dollar was made for scamming people?"

Try to be very polite when asking such questions. Try to make them understand that everything that has a use has a misuse too. Be descriptive!
They need to understand that bitcoin is simply a currency like Dollar, Euro, Cedis, etc. (except for the fact it is a digital currency).

I believe that was helpful.

Thank you for that helpful suggestion. Well, it made me realize that by using those questions, we can simply convince people that bitcoin is not a scam. Also, in order for us to answer their confusions and inquiries about bitcoin, we should fully understand how the general concept is so that we can explain it to them clearly.

[The Sceptical Chymist]

I thought bitcoin was a scam when I first heard about it--and the Mt. Gox situation didn't help my viewpoint, but I eventually realized that it was nothing of the sort.

You don't need to convince people nowadays that bitcoin isn't some kind of Ponzi scheme or whatever, because it gets enough mainstream media coverage--which essentially is vouching for its legitimacy--that you'd have to be completely ignorant of what it actually is to think it's inherently a scam.

I suppose if you had to pick a way to prove that bitcoin isn't a Ponzi, show someone its 10-year price chart or show them how much money you've made by investing in it--or show them some online retailers that accept it as payment.  But in any case, I think the population of people still in the dark about bitcoin's legitimacy is shrinking.  It's definitely not the same as it was back in the 2009-2013 years.

The popular opinion about bitcoin is that it's more "hacker's money"

That's accurate, I think--but that doesn't mean people think bitcoin is a scam because of that.  And if they thought about it rationally, ransoms have traditionally been paid with cold, hard cash.  Same thing for drugs and every other illegal thing you can purchase or could have purchased throughout history.

[alexsandria]

I did some analysis and have come to understand that majority of us are afraid to tell people about bitcoin because people see it as a scam and maybe, it could implicate us. But then, I think I know a good way you can convince them that bitcoin isn't scam.

You could simply bring out a dollar (or any fiat you have in your pocket) then ask him/her what that is. For sure, 'money' will be the answer. Then ask him this simple question; "if someone happens to scam you and take all your dollars, does it mean that dollar is a scam?"
Or, you could rephrase the last line to; "does it mean that dollar was made for scamming people?"

Try to be very polite when asking such questions. Try to make them understand that everything that has a use has a misuse too. Be descriptive!
They need to understand that bitcoin is simply a currency like Dollar, Euro, Cedis, etc. (except for the fact it is a digital currency).

I believe that was helpful.

Yes it is very easy to say that on a crypto people like us or to the crypto enthusiast in which it was very easy to explain it to them and for them to understand it so fast because they already know what cryptocurrency is, but the thing is if they are open-minded enough to absorb what cryptocurrency is all about or they already made up their mind to built an understanding talks with you because until that the people doesn't have the courage to listen with you then they will just ignore you at the end of the day.

[isaac_clarke22]

It is just either they're still scared to invest into something that isn't visible at their hands or they're pretty much have given up to themselves to the centralization thinking that the government would give them the maximum protection as a consumer in the market. The question you made is quite a bit of persuading for them to think a bit for a minute and let it sink in.

My first Bitcoin thoughts ever was the same. A scam or an illegal entity specialized to criminals which is true but only happens in the dark web and not here in the surface web.
There should be a chance to make them think that way, just how I changed my way of thinking to Bitcoin.