The act of cheating or taking something of value from a victim or causing the victim an expense in either time, money, or something else of value should all be classified as theft. Tax fraud, false or misleading insurance claims (including claims for self-inflicted injuries or damages), over-billing customers, bribery, ransom demands, willfully wrong IRS judgments, etc., should be treated as theft. Compensation plus a punitive multiple should be paid up to several times the amount of the fraudulent or dishonest economic transaction.

Forcibly demanding illegal payments, such as ransom demands, wrongful IRS judgments followed by threats to pay, etc. should be considered a completed theft of the original amount demanded even though that amount may not have actually been paid by the victim.