I think that the problem should be tackled from both ends: moderation and the trust system. Whenever someone begs for merit points, their post should be archived, removed and subsequently they should be tagged. The same should be applied for sales (although disallowed, it is unclear whether and what kind of ban this will result it), and a combination of both measures should be much more effective.
I like your approach. Consider report-and-tag to be my new policy.
And... done! From the trust page for #1443762 lovepale:
Also reported to moderators with the message: Ipso facto merit farming: Begged for merit. Flagrantly. Amidst a discussion of why begging for merit is a reprehensible abuse of the system, nuke on sight.
Let this be made an example.
I'm not tagging them, I'm just ignoring them. I'm not a mod, or an admin, or a trust arbiter, or even a merit faucet, so it will probably make little difference to their career on Bitcoin Talk. However, it does make it easier for me to scan threads. :)
I know my tagging will have little direct effect at present, other than sending a crystal-clear message. But its important to establish the precedent for declaring merit-beggars untrustworthy. That, they are! I hope to see DT members doing same, which will really have some bite.
As for moderation, Im not a mod, either; but hereto (not including this report), I have reported 158 posts with 100% accuracy. Mods need people to help them clean up the garbage. By making earlier methods of spamming/farming unprofitable and thus stemming the flow of garbage at its source, the merit system should ultimately result in less garbage to begin with. The merit system must not be corrupted.