Yes there are scams. There are scams with any new technology and people have dealt with them in various ways for hundreds of years. I don't think that will ever change but our ability to point them out and protect ourselves from them will.

>they can copy the innovations that work, bolt them on top of their product, and offer something that is both innovative and is secured by men with guns

I don't think this has ever worked. By the time they have cut all of the red tape and finished bolting this feature onto their enormous enterprisey stack the world will have already moved on and the Ethereum ecosystem will be on The Feature 2.0. Also, if your security is provided by men with guns then those same men with guns can change the rules on you or the bank which makes your money much less secure. I'd take "mathematically impossible to cheat" over "men with guns might be angry if someone cheats" any day.