So you're thinking that there are people who would report thousands of posts just to receive a small icon? I don't even notice those anymore.
Small, yet many people grind faucets for a minimal amount of bitcoins. Why would someone not want to get an icon? At the very least, some people would be incentivized by it. It's kind of a pride-based thing, perhaps.
I disagree with this. There is no zero reason for the (e.g.) contributor rank to make people think that "they're more reliable than others". Similarly, being a donator or VIP shouldn't cause that either. IMHO the best way to proceed is with something like a rank.
Players unfamiliar with how trust works are who I suspect may have issues (expectation that higher rank = higher trustworthiness)