I understand what you're saying, and I realize that it might even work to a certain extent, but I have some reservations about whether it's really a big problem or just one or another more publicized case.
Or maybe I'm just being very naive and don't understand the scope of this whole "macabre" scheme.
A user has three alt accounts in addition to their main one. They collect merits from their main account, which they then redistribute among their alts. (At this point, if someone is caught doing this, they can be reported, I think it wasn't the first time it happened.) But, he doesn't get caught and continues.
If the main account earns 30 merits, it distributes 10 merits to the 3 alts.
Each alt will have 5 merits to give. If everyone gives to the main, he will have 7 merits to give.
It returns 2 merits for each alt account.
These alts return to giving 1 merit to the main, and have 1 or 2 more merits to give.
In the end, each high received about 12 or 13 merits throughout this process.
He has to do this scheme about 10 times for an alt to reach Full Member. Added to that, each alt has to have an activity of about 200.
Honestly, I find it hard to believe that with just this scheme (have 1 or more alts) the account will level up.
I still remember the effort involved in leveling up and earning merits, and I find it hard to believe it's that simple. Yes, I probably also earned some merits with little effort, for posting in a few threads. But I also know it was never a significant amount, maybe 10, 20, a little more. That doesn't get you very far.
I see it as somewhat difficult for someone to farm merits using only these resources. Maybe they're being naive... but I think it's difficult.
You don't need to feel bad about what I said, nobody should. I probably got like at least 30% of my current merits in WO when I was an active poster there. So, by all means I am not pointing any fingers at anyone. It might look like it but I am not doing it.
Campaign managers tend to not like accounts that farm their merits that way (I think I heard it from the chipmi*er's manager when he was around, but it is common knowledge nowadays anyway) so if a high ranking account with good reputation does the WO/pushup merit farming, it is probably because he doesn't care what the campaign managers think about him ( probably not carrying a
*paid* signature too)
If the ranking is high but the repuation is shaky, there is a chance that he is running an alt farm. Again, not pointing any fingers. Just my guess.