More links does necessarily means penalty?

[Sysamic]

What we feel in this case is that Google's algorithm is smart enough to judge the wrong practices. If any popular site is gaining link juice from other sites more speedily than usual, it is a sign of automation and intentional practice.

Also, if the algorithm notices the referral doesn't fit the context and this is happening more than usual then it will also be considered as a forceful practice. All such operations deserve the penalty. Just try to keep the process under Google's guidelines then it should not attract any penalty.