I don't even know how trolling is defined here; and without a clear definition that is actually used when hellbanning, I call BS on that. Trolling doesn't mean whatever you consider bad for whatever arbitrary reason; if it means that it means nothing, and is just an excuse and circular reasoning (ultimately defining trolls as those who got banned for whatever reason).

I can only speak for myself, but I got slowbanned for just being argumentative several times, and the fact that I got NO signal other than "somebody didn't like something in the hundreds of posts you wrote" means I can't really get invested in HN further than the comment I am reading or writing at any given moment. There is zero rhyme or reason and no class to such a process, and for all I know I just get punished for pointing out a truth someone likes to delude themselves about; so I can't even regret anything without knowing what the supposed error was. I just argue less because at the end of the day, what do I care if someone is wrong, and why spend, say, moral outrage or humour on a site that doesn't get or appreciate it, instead of letting it build up and blogging about it? That way everybody is happy :P

That said, for something like credit card fraud it actually seems smart, just like it might be for cheaters in games, or wherever you have an actual clear definition of "crime". This is not the case here, and it shows sometimes.