What a honeypot. Anyone dumb enough to participate would have to fly United.
How? They didn't dump a list of who is participating but Jordan Wiens was named and has a public profile and has published security research. I don't think black hat hackers are decloaking from tor to take a stab at some airline miles.
I wouldn't say the people are outright dumb; maybe they enjoy it and have a vacation lined up. Obviously, it isn't as financially rewarding as other BB programs, but outside of the compensation it doesn't seem overtly malicious. What rubs you the wrong way here?