everywhere I look I see scam sites, untrustworthy people, hackers and pyramid schemes running riot,
isn't this whole bitcoin thing just a trap? I don't really see why you'd want to be part of it...
Every single scam, untrustworthy person, hack, and pyramid scheme you're referring to, had exactly ZERO to do with Bitcoin.
Bitcoin just happened to be the chosen currency in these particular situations. Exactly the same scams, ponzi schemes and whatnot can be found for any other currency.
However, without a shadow of a doubt, by far the two biggest scammer currencies are the Euro and the Dollar. The shit they (=greedy bankers) get away with is unbelievable, yet somehow people and governments keep falling for it.