Jocelyn Kirsch, 22, and Edward K. Anderton, 25, were charged on Friday with identity theft, forgery, unlawful use of a computer and a laundry list of other counts.

Their fraud scheme, estimated at $100,000 this year alone, paid for jaunts to Paris, London and Hawaii and other luxury perks, including Kirsch’s stop at a tony salon for $1,700 worth of hair extensions, police said.

“They were two young people who were given many gifts in life,” said Detective Terry Sweeney referring to the couple’s supportive families and private schooling. “And the very best thing they could do was victimise other people.” Police started investigating on Nov 19 after one of the couple’s neighbours reported that she thought her identity had been stolen. A day later, the woman heard from a local UPS store about a waiting package, although she had not ordered anything.

Police kept an eye on the store and arrested Anderton and Kirsch on Friday when they walked in to pick up the package, detectives said.

A weekend search of the couple’s $3,000-a-month apartment turned up a cache of tech toys: four computers, two printers, a scanner and an industrial machine that makes ID cards.

 Police also found $17,500 in cash, dozens of credit cards, fake drivers’ licenses and keys to unlock many of the apartments and mailboxes in their upscale Rittenhouse Square apartment building.

“They were like parasites that infected that building,” Sweeney said.

The search also turned up a book titled, “The Art of Cheating: A Nasty Little Book for Tricky Little Schemers and Their Hapless Victims” as well as a newspaper article on “How to Spot Fake IDs.”

Police believe the schemes date back at least two years and involves victims beyond the apartment house. A slideshow found on one of their computers shows the couple's high-flying travels: kissing in front of the Eiffel Tower, sporting matching red swim wear at a ritzy ocean-front resort; and dining at an elegant restaurant.
Sweeney fears that they are not finished finding victims. So far, the police know of five victims, one of whom was taken for $30,000.

Kirsch's father arrived from Winston-Salem, N C, to post her $25,000 bond on Sunday. Anderton, who hails from Everett, Washington, posted his bond on Monday, police said.

Anderton was recently fired from a job as a financial analyst while Kirsch is a student at Drexel University.