Recently we discovered that a search on YouTube for "Rockwell Institute" brought up some videos offering free Rockwell textbooks for download. To get the books, all one had to do was go to a website and enter a book code. We knew this couldn't be right, so we investigated. What we found was troubling. In order to get the free book, the user needed to create a free account with a different website, Geeker.com. To create the account, they needed to enter credit card information.
As a test, we used a one-time-use credit card to gain access to the site. Not only was the book not actually there once this process was completed, but even though the site claims to be free, it tried to charge our credit card SIX TIMES in just a few minutes. Of course all these charges were declined, and we didn't lose any money, but if an unsuspecting student tried this same process with their real credit card, they could have quite a hassle!
Attempts to cancel our account on geeker.com came up with error messages. A search online for "geeker.com" came up with dozens of posts from frustrated users claiming the site was fraudulently charging them for services they didn't receive.
PLEASE be smart and cautious when shopping online, and please note that nobody is authorized to let you download a PDF of our books for free. Keep a healthy skepticism about online offers that seem too good to be true, and you'll avoid lots of headaches!
Rockwell has reported these videos to YouTube as misleading.
