Spent $35 on a PDF of a banned book and got a cease and desist threat

Last month I paid $35 for a digital copy of a book that's been banned in some school districts. Downloaded it from a small site that specializes in these. Three days later I got an email from some law firm claiming I violated copyright and needed to pay them $500 or they'd sue. I checked around and turns out some publishers are using fake storefronts to trap people buying banned books, then hitting them with threats. The book itself? It was just a standard novel about growing up in the South, nothing wild. I reported the site to the real publisher and they confirmed it wasn't authorized. Has anyone else run into these shady shops pretending to sell banned books?

2 comments

2 Comments

jason9587d ago

So you paid $35 for a book AND a free lawsuit scare? That's a two for one deal I never want. Really generous of them to throw in the threat at no extra charge though. Standard bundle: get scammed, then get scared into paying another $500. Your credit card company is gonna love that chargeback request. Almost makes you miss the days when banned books were just hidden under your bed, not bait for a fake law firm.

richardk267d ago

Man that is so messed up, I'm sorry that happened to you. You were just trying to read a book that some school board thinks kids shouldn't see, and instead you get ripped off and threatened. It's really twisted how these fake sites prey on people looking for banned stuff, knowing they'll be less likely to report it. I had a friend fall for something similar with a supposedly rare vinyl record, turned out to be a bootleg that cost him double. The whole setup is just dirty, using people's curiosity about banned media to scare them into paying up. Hope you get your money back from your card company at least.