...since it's not just your reputation that you're selling, but everyone close to you as well (less likely to scam when your neighbor and family suffer from it).
You poor innocent boy. Trendon Shavers is a case in point.
Scammers have no hesitation in ruining the reputations of those close to them. Hopefully people using Ripple will be careful about who they vouch for (although based on the level of trust people extend to near strangers on social networks, I'm not so sure about that).