SlushPool,

Hypothetically speaking here, what is to stop your pool from artificially creating workers and the hash rate associated with them.  For instance, the pool has stayed at around 17,000-17,300+/- workers while the combined pool hashing power has gone up 10-20PH?  Would it be possible for a pool to artificially increase their ghost workers hashing rates up by 10-20PH?  Are ghost workers or artificial hash rates plausible? 

I do not know anything about the backend operations of a mining pool, just generally curious?  Is this something that could be done on other mining pools?  I love your pool, just a little worried about the huge increase in hashing power and not an increase in workers that I would assume would come with that big of a jump.

How can I be sure a pool is not doing some shady stuff or do I just have to believe the stats from the pool? 

Again, this is all hypothetical and I am just curious.  Some backend pool experts school me to some knowledge please.

Thank you Gentlemen!