Buying all new stationery. Checking if the old uniform still fits. Preparing packed lunches. Most kids hate going back to school or college after a long summer vacation.

But cybercriminals like it. Why? Because it's another opportunity to scam folk out of their hard-earned cash.

It doesn't matter if you're a student or a parent. When it comes to term time, you're a target. Here are just a few things to watch out for.

1. Malware in Online Textbooks

Buying your academic books is one of the costliest outlays at the start of each term. These might simply be copies of Othello or Lord of the Flies, or something more niche like A History of Medicine: Volume 2 -- Early Greek, Hindu, and Persian Medicine. If it's on the syllabus, you'll resent spending a lot of cash on it.

You might understandably turn to online sources, specifically to find free downloads.

Whatever the title, it's likely going be popular, so the chances are, you'll find a copy. But don't be so quick to download it. Some will be trustworthy. However, you could also be unwittingly downloading malware onto your device.

What You Can Do About It

Check whether the work is in the public domain. Specifics vary, but anything published after 1977 typically doesn't become accessible as such until 70 years after the author's death. In some situations, such as anonymous texts, this can be 95 or 120 years after publication or creation date.

That is a substantially limiting factor, but does mean that you'll be able to read copies of Shakespeare's plays and poems (and plenty more) on the Google Books Library Project Work, and similar services.

Otherwise, check on eBay or other auction sites to see if former students are selling their old copies of academic tomes. Some educational institutions have their own ordering services or student bodies passing on books. When in doubt, ask!

2. Other Free Downloads

This issue isn't limited solely to textbooks, of course: viruses can be installed into your PC or laptop via any online downloads. Even watching a movie for Media Studies can leave your systems open to malicious software.

The core problem is downloading from unrecognized sources (i.e. websites you've not visited before but trust because they purport to help your studies).

Many of us have searched for test study papers to prepare for upcoming examinations, and simply opening a PDF can result in installation of malware.

In rare cases, sites you frequent regularly can also contain so-called "drive-by downloads," which is a guerrilla way of installing a virus onto your device without you actively doing anything aside from typing in a URL.

What You Can Do About It

Your first line of defence should naturally be a strong security suite. This should alert you of any suspect links and drive-by downloads, and immediately block it. In some instances, it'll ask you whether you meant to actually download something; you might think this means a test paper, film, or piece of music, when in fact, it's warning you about a virus.

You should always ask yourself: do you trust this site? Why has it earnt such trust? If you trust it only because you're desperate for help, that's not a good enough reason to proceed. Similarly, if a site says it has the answers for upcoming exams, can you really be sure of its intentions?

Instead, ask your tutor for recommendations. They may provide you with links to approved resources, show you guidance sections on an intranet, or give you example test questions from previous years.

3. Student Discounts

The day of the pencil and notepad are far from being over. Nonetheless, students are increasingly abandoning older college accessories in favor of tablets and other gadgets.

It's no surprise, given the number of deals and freebies offered to anyone studying. Even schools are taking advantage. The North Kansas City School District negotiated a contract with Apple to receive 15,000 iPads for all its students. Teacher, Mindy Wheeler enthused:

"Anytime you use technology, it is going to help engagement. It really pushes us out of our comfort zone, so they are pushed, we are pushed, everyone is learning together."

But you might be tempted by emails, social media ads, or SMS promoting a giveaway, more often than not for a free tablet or laptop. Typically, all you have to do is click on a link and submit some data, which likely includes a name, email address, and date of birth.

And you guessed it, many of them are scams. The link looks genuine, but leads to a fake website and the credentials you enter will be used by cybercriminals. From this, the best case scenario is that they get to know some basic details about you. In the worst, spyware or ransomware infects your device, giving fraudsters leverage over you.

What You Can Do About It

The simple answer is not to get drawn into these sorts of supposed giveaways. In the off chance that it's a real giveaway, your chances of winning are so slight, you might as well not risk it. Go through the proper channels: visit Apple or other smartphone suppliers to learn about discounts.

If you're not hit by malicious software, you might figure scammers can't do much with the basic personal information you've provided. You'd be wrong. All your data is valuable to criminals, whether that's something you think is readily available elsewhere or details that are harder to come by.

When you're added to multiple mailing lists and get an inbox full of spam each day, you'll seriously regret taking a chance.

4. Like Farming

This is similar, but the immediate consequences seem less severe.

Nearly everyone on Facebook has Liked a page without putting in much thought. You'll see a promoted page, promising entry into a prize draw if you Like it and share a post. This is known as "Like farming," or occasionally "Like harvesting." The whole purpose is to generate a greater following, so you probably won't see anything negative about that.

Except after getting a certain number of people supporting it, the page's purpose will change. They could subsequently post suspicious links or sell your data on. Their promotions can specifically target certain demographics, and students are likely to fall for them if they're supposedly part of a giveaway or for a charitable cause.

Essentially, you could be bombarded with advertisements, or your details could be sold on again -- all because you fancied a chance at winning an iPad for your studies.

What You Can Do About It

Be more selective with what you Like on Facebook. Or indeed, who you follow on Twitter. In some cases, Twitter handles alter, so you're suddenly associated with something you'd never consider following beforehand.

It's really not worth it. Facebook alone can determine a lot about you just based on your expressed interests, and that's without getting into scammers who Like farm.

5. Fake Grants and Scholarships

Tuition fees are massive, and will hang over you long after you've left college. No one can blame you for wanting to ease the burden by seeking out scholarships or grants.

Fraudsters will use those opportunities against you. It's actually a huge problem because thousands of people always apply for financial aid; that's a considerable number of pupils to exploit.

Most scams of this type will ask for money in order to enter you into a scholarship or grant lottery. You'll write off small upfront outgoings because you'll think them negligible and that you simply didn't win the scholarship. It's a shame, but you'll figure that you've only paid out $10 or so. Yet that scholarship doesn't exist, or, if it did, your chances of winning it are tiny.

Alternatively, you'll hear that an application has been successful, but for funds to be released, you'll need to pay some sort of fee to cover taxes.

What You Can Do About It

It's difficult as these sort of scams come in many different forms. The one common factor they all boil down to, however, is that they all want you to pay.

Remember that no one can guarantee you a scholarship. Don't trust schemes that ask for an immediate outlay of cash. There's no proper reason you should be expected to pay for a grant of any sort.

Don't forget to look for testimonials online. Any reputable firm will have numerous sources singing its praises.

Exact application fees vary wildly. Some might be a couple of bucks, others will be a three-figure sum. You might be assured that this is to cover administrative expenses, but don't be fooled.

For financial aid, ask your academic institution. If they can't help, they will likely be able to pass you onto somewhere that can. Try the College Board, a searchable database of scholarships that's customizable so you only get relevant results.

6. Fake Shipping Emails

This isn't an issue solely affecting students, obviously, but at this time of year, the number of online orders you place is likely to be at a high. You'll be ordering educational supplies or maybe getting early Christmas presents (spreading the cost is ideal for cash-strapped pupils). This, too, can be exploited by cybercriminals.

You'll likely get lots of invoices, order confirmations, and shipping details arriving in your inbox. Scammers also send emails of this sort, often purporting to be from big brands like UPS or Walmart, informing you that there's been a problem with your order. It probably won't specify a product. It'll instead opt for an order number and encourage you to click on a link to resolve the issue.

Emails pretending to be from postal companies might tell you postage wasn't sufficiently paid or that they tried to deliver and you weren't in. They'll ask you to reschedule the delivery.

Once more, clicking on those links can lead to a virus infecting your PC. You'll probably be redirected to a fake login page as well. It will look genuine but, in actuality, collects your username and passwords for use by fraudsters.

What You Can Do About It

Sometimes, these will be real. Nonetheless, you shouldn't click on any links in emails. Instead, go directly to source. Open up a new tab and sign into your store account from there.

You probably don't have login details for delivery firms, so look for a separate means of contact on their official site. Don't go via SMS or social media accounts either as these can be fraudulent.

Textbook Scams?

The key to fighting fraud is to stay sceptical. Take basic security precautions: keep software up to date, never click links in emails, and install an antivirus suite you can trust.

Basically, question everything. And isn't that exactly what students should do anyway?

Have you encountered any back-to-school scams? Are there any variants your peers need to know about?

Image Credits: Billion Photos, BonNontawat via Shutterstock