Jocelyn Kirsch and The Art of Cheating

It seemed like the perfect romance; a trip to Paris, expensive resorts, dining in exclusive restaurants. A weekend search turned up photos of these memories in the $3,000 per month Philadelphia apartment of Jocelyn Kirsch and Edward Anderton along with several computers, a machine that makes fake identification cards, and $17,500 in cash. They also found keys to unlock many of their neighbors' apartments and mail boxes, as well as a fake drivers license soaking in bleach to give it an aged appearance. Kirsch and Anderton were arrested Friday on suspicion of identity theft and forgery, along with a sheaf of other charges. Philadelphia police allege that the couple has worked an elaborate scheme for several years stealing the identities of their apartment complex neighbors and perhaps many other unwitting victims.

It all started with a telephone call to police from one of Anderton's neighbors who believed that her identity had been stolen. The next day, she received a call from UPS regarding the pickup of a package in her name. She had not ordered anything. Police set up surveillance at the store and arrested Anderton and Kirsch attempting to claim the package.

One of the most telling items that police catalogued during their search was a copy of the 320-page book "The Art of Cheating: A Nasty Little Book for Tricky Little Schemers and Their Hapless Victims", published by Simon and Schuster. Per the editorial introduction: "With clever illustrations and humorous deadpan delivery, The Art of Cheating will have you sleeping your way to the top, faking an illness, and forging someone else's handwriting -- without batting an eye." The book claims to help those who cheat, and don't we all, they say, to do it better and more effectively. The book is currently ranked #180 in the Amazon.com booklist, no doubt in large part to its notoriety in connection with this case.