[detaro]

Not every questionable, bad or even fraudulent financial construct is a Ponzi scheme. Unless a coin has a clear promise of payout that the people organizing it would have to satisfy, it can't be a Ponzi scheme.

[ruytlm]

I suspect they're not using Ponzi scheme literally, more as a shorthand for the kind of scheme that promises plenty, but doesn't actually do anything.

See e.g: http://www.nytimes.com/1990/02/25/books/nothing-but-zzzz-bes...

[kaffeemitsahne]

Luckily we already have a word for that kind of scheme, "scam".