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.