The author addresses the criminality of identity theft and the necessity for a specific criminal offense in German law. Although the phenomenon of identity theft is gaining significance in an increasingly digitalized world, the term remains unclear from a criminal law perspective. To answer the question of how to approach this commonly used term of identity theft from a (criminal) legal standpoint, the author discusses whether identity falls under criminal protection and how the criminal law of other jurisdictions protects it. The author identifies the typical methods of committing identity theft and examines their criminal liability under the German Penal Code. The book concludes with a concrete legislative proposal.