A scammer has your name, phone number and address. What can they actually do?

If you've ever wondered how much damage a scammer could really do with your name, phone number and home address, the answer is probably more than you'd expect.

Those three details are generally not enough by themselves to empty your bank account, take out a major loan or completely steal your identity.

However, they can give a scammer a believable starting point.

From there, the goal may be to trick you into revealing the more sensitive information they still need.

That is what makes seemingly basic personal information so useful to criminals.

Here's what a scammer can actually do with those details, the warning signs to watch for and the steps you can take to make yourself a harder target.

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See the classes and register at CyberGuyLive.com THE SECRET LIST THAT TELLS SCAMMERS YOU'RE AN EASY TARGET Your name, phone number and address may already appear in public records, old directories, property records or data broker databases.

As a result, people sometimes assume there is little risk if a stranger already knows them.

The problem starts when those details are combined.

A scammer may add information from a data breach , social media account, people-search site or earlier phishing attempt .