...I guarantee you can't tell the "difference" between one done with the HoB and one done OTA. Why? Cause there IS no difference.
Most people know just enough about modern technology to operate it within the parameters of their daily lives. I think a lot of that holds true even on these forums. Since we were slated to get ICS and it's taken so long, a slew of moderately tech savvy people have found the forums in the hopes of getting more information on when it will be available to them. Most of them probably do not even bother to look up what MD5 is.
So yeah, you really can't blame them for being afraid to take the plunge. People naturally fear what they can't see or don't understand.