Very sad to hear about this. The top theory conferences are much smaller. Reviewers are usually invited to participate by a committee member who has met them pe

Very sad to hear about this. The top theory conferences are much smaller. Reviewers are usually invited to participate by a committee member who has met them personally or at least knows their body of work. If a low-quality paper was accepted, many people would notice. There are downsides, but the upside is that these kinds of collusion tactics wouldn't have a chance.