TOTAL SCAM

A threatened doxxing turns an internet scammer’s life nightmarish.

Knowing that it’s wrong but attracted by the excitement of big, easy bucks, 17-year-old Ohioan Elliott allows himself to be drawn into the schemes of his troubled longtime friend, Felix Thurman. Felix, who struggles with his disengaged adoptive parents, has a new girlfriend, “tech goddess” Céline Moreau, whose dad “went to prison / for some credit card scam thing.” Elliott deals with his own tensions at home—his father is unemployed, and his mother works retail and has a multilevel marketing side gig. Céline provides the gear and know-how for the trio to set up a series of bogus online product offers, charities, and websites. Then mysterious texts—“I know who you are,” “I know what you’re doing, buddy”—and extortion demands appear, followed by an incident that leaves Felix beaten and bloody, and a devastating discovery. Repentant 12th grader Elliott is left to reflect on friendship and the kind of person he wants to be, aware that for every Felix in the world, there are “friends like me / who tag along.” This work for striving readers balances narrator Elliott’s introspective musings with a fast pace and a clearly stated message about the immorality of scammers. Although not everyone is redeemed by the end, the story does end on a positive note of hope and redemption for Elliott. The cast presents white.

A plot-driven exploration of a teen’s journey into financial crime.