The Scammer

Nick is a secondary character who becomes one of Jordyn’s closest friends and eventual romantic interest. He is the only white student at Frazier, which initially bothers Jordyn. However, because he was raised by a Black family, volunteers for causes related to Black community members, and strives to make Frazier a better place through student government, he eventually earns Jordyn’s trust. He is a static character who does not change throughout the course of the text; instead, he serves as a constant source of support and emotional stability to Jordyn while embodying a strong moral compass.

Nick also serves as a foil to Devonte throughout the novel. Initially, Jordyn disregards Nick because he is white while being drawn to Devonte as a Black man. However, as Devonte begins to manipulate and become physically and emotionally harmful to those around him, Nick’s comfort and care become a source of support for Jordyn. He respects her boundaries as they begin to live together, feeds her, ensures her physical safety, and ultimately uses his influence at Frazier to help her and advocate for reform. His insistence on accountability, as he pushes for police involvement and introduces Jordyn to Dr. Barnes, contrasts with the secrecy demanded by Devonte. Their relationship is built on mutual respect rather than control, as he allows her to maintain her autonomy even when he disagrees with her decisions.

At the same time, Nick acts as a mirror to Jordyn’s own struggles with grief and belonging. Just as she has distanced herself from her parents by her choice to come to Frazier, Nick learned to live without his parents early on, as they had him late in life, after already raising his siblings. Additionally, Jordyn continues to grapple with the loss of her brother, while Nick deals with his guilt over the loss of his girlfriend, Ashley, when she was killed by her abusive ex-boyfriend. Through their relationship, the novel emphasizes the value of personal connection and, perhaps more importantly, time and space as a valuable part of healing from grief.

Devonte is the novel’s primary antagonist. He gets out of prison at the start of the novel after committing theft and credit card fraud, of which he claims he is innocent. Although he pretends to be Vanessa’s brother, he is actually her boyfriend, and the two of them have spent over a decade working together to defraud people. At Frazier, he uses his charisma and real-world experience to convince Jordyn, her friends, and dozens of other Frazier students to follow him as he forms a cult-like group on campus. 

Devonte creates his following by emphasizing the struggles of being a Black person in the United States, while positing solutions that involve avoiding food, abandoning all structures within Frazier that he sees as rooted in white culture, and, ultimately, giving him money so that he can prepare for the creation of a new community known as Emancipation. His ability to psychologically manipulate others and create a following is best exemplified through Jordyn’s reaction to him. Although she knows his background and starts a friendship with him specifically to get him arrested again for his role in Kevin’s death, she nonetheless becomes enthralled by his charisma and his words. Despite knowing the danger that he poses, she still sees some truth in his words and the value in creating a Black identity outside of the influence of a white-dominated society. Devonte’s character develops the theme of the struggle between belonging and autonomy. He represents the danger of giving up one’s free will and identity in exchange for community in the form of unquestioning loyalty.

Vanessa is a secondary antagonist in The Scammer, though it is revealed late in the text that she controls many of Devonte’s actions behind the scenes. While she pretends to be a college student, she is actually 32 years old and has spent over 10 years as Devonte’s girlfriend and partner in committing fraud and theft. She is liked by her peers, including Jordyn, because of her charisma and popularity, which allows her to operate without suspicion as Devonte convinces his followers to follow his plan and give them money. 

Vanessa is a flat character. Little information is given about her past, and she spends much of the novel pretending to be under Devonte’s influence, like the others. At the same time, she is a static character, as she remains loyal to Devonte even after he is arrested, attacking Jordyn and nearly killing her before she succumbs to the drug Jordyn put in her tea. At the novel’s end, her downfall serves as a resolution to the novel’s primary conflict, as she is punished for her actions at Frazier and over the last decade.

Loren and Kammy are Jordyn’s suitemates, along with Vanessa. They are minor, flat characters who serve largely to emphasize the damage done by Devonte’s schemes. After Jordyn is expelled from Devonte’s group for standing up to him, she notes how Loren and Kammy diminish physically and emotionally throughout the novel. They are often described as thin and “frail,” as Devonte controls their eating and convinces Loren to stop taking her diabetes medication. They stop going to classes, begin to fail, and devote all of their time to Devonte. At the same time, they become more hostile toward Jordyn, allowing Devonte’s influence to override their friendship as they choose him over her. 

Their refusal to question Devonte, even when faced with evidence, demonstrates how influential Devonte is and how strong people’s desire is for community and belonging. At the novel’s end, Kammy’s death marks a tragic conclusion to the harm that Devonte has caused. Conversely, there is hope for Loren, as she is adamant that she is going to testify against Vanessa in her trial.