But with a bit more effort, the data can also be harnessed for trickier purposes. Assuming the information can be put together into legible sets — where for example an individual customer’s name, postcode, phone number, email address and ID document details are all bundled together — it could be used for more personalised scams or fake messages that look a lot more legitimate.

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Large criminal operations could combine this with all the data they already have, so if you’ve had personal information leak from two separate sources, those could be pooled to make for a more complete profile.

This makes it more likely scammers could trick you into opening malicious links, where they’re hoping you’ll also hand over the keys to your passwords, accounts or financial information.

Specific to the Medibank hack is the inclusion of claims data for around half a million people, which could be used to discern the details of medical procedures and treatments. In one sense, this is similar to any other information; criminals could leverage it to make more convincing scams by pretending to be a health care provider you’ve visited in the past. But there are also concerns it could be used for extortion or harassment in cases where the treatment was particularly sensitive.

Regardless of whether your details are included in the data, the fact that Medibank is in the news also means operators have been incorporating it into their regular scams. This could include fake emails claiming to be from Medibank or a credit checking agency, or extortion attempts claiming to have data on you.

Medibank chief executive David Koczkar, unsurprisingly, said that the case was definitively not closed from the company’s point of view.

“We are doing everything we can to ensure our customers are supported. It’s important everyone stays vigilant to any suspicious activity online or over the phone,” he said.

“The Australian Federal Police have said law enforcement will take swift action against anyone attempting to benefit, exploit or commit criminal offences using stolen Medibank customer data.”

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