Both Bitcoins and altcoins have a lot of risk attached to them, simply because of the nature of cryptocurrency also being criminal currency. Currently, there really are no government-backed, government-guaranteed cryptocurrencies out there.
However, Bitcoin tends to attract the most speculators as well as the most scammers. This, in turn, puts Bitcoin as a riskier choice for most. The major hack earlier in 2014 proved that even savvy Bitcoin investors can lose it all because of theft.
How could you call bitcoin and rest of the crypto currencies as criminal currencies? Are you sure that dollars, gold, diamond and other paper money is not used in crimes? This is so rude and absurd at the same time that you did not take even a second to label it as a criminal currency. Dont you know that this currency has helped masses to come above the line of poverty? Try to be more realistic and positive.