Evil or Red Cashing

From TradeWars Documentation Wiki

The game allows traders to go evil, having an alignment less than 0 based on various behaviors. Alignment changes and their effects is a different page but for our purposes we shall discuss the ability to rob when a trader's alignment dips below -100.

When porting with an alignment of less than -100 a trader will be asked:

<A> Attack this Port

<R> Rob this Port

<T> Trade at this Port

<Q> Quit, nevermind

Enter your choice [T] ?

And if he dares to hit r to Rob he'll see this:

Docking One turn deducted, 291 turns left. [Pause]

--Then he'll see this:

After docking with the port, you glance furtively about trying to estimate this chance to make some "quick" profit. The port staff are off helping a few other Traders right now. Will you go for it? (R)ob this port, (S)teal product or (Q)uit (?=Help)

So getting away with it means you get a load of stuff for nothing more than a turn used. The only hard fast rule to thievery is you can't rob from the same port twice in a row...they'll see you. Then you get Busted.