Around here you are only allowed to see the HOA rules at closing. It’s awfully late to back out at that point so you are stuck no matter what the rules are.
Moreover, around everywhere else I know, the rules are *recorded* like all other deed restrictions and transactions, and a matter of public record.
I don’t think it’s a crime, just part of the HOA rules. We looked at a few homes that we ended up not buying because we were not allowed to read the HOA rules and I was not going to go into it blind.