Sadly, I think it is, Thistle. There were so many news reports when Bitcoin was on the up and up that new investors looking for a quick buck decided to jump on to the (then) lucrative band wagon. To buy Cryptos with a credit card, and funds you don't have, is sheer lunacy. I've seen some of the sites you mention, and it looks like you have to go through a third party to invest. They're obviously going to take their cut of any profit, and they (the sites) are making money from people's ignorance of how to trade in Cryptos/Bitcoins.
VS