PackTrackPlus Ads - How to remove

PackTrackPlus is a browser extension that serves as adware. If you are seeing ads, banners, pop-ups by PackTrackPlus, your browser has an adware extension installed.

PackTrackPlus is targeted at people from the United States.

“PackTrackPlus — Track your packages online”

Tracking for all your package shipments in one convenient place. Get real-time tracking information for your packages.

PackTrackPlus promotes “Offers by PackTrackPlus”, which is adware. Programs which are considered adware tend to advertise to the user excessively, intrusively, by hijacking the browser and showing ads in web pages, opening pop-ups, even installing programs without the victim’s knowledge. Adware programs can have other functions that serve as the front because they need to convince people to install them somehow. They earn money by displaying unwanted ads to people were unlucky enough to install the adware.

Privacy and advertising

Ads and tracking go hand-in-hand nowadays. PackTrackPlus observes your browsing habits and shares this information with third-party marketers. This data is valuable to advertisers because the more data marketers have about you, the better they know which ads can be effective. Information collected by PackTrackPlus includes:

• Your IP address.
• Addresses and the content of the websites that you visit.
• Information about the programs installed on your computer.

PackTrackPlus are honest about this on their About page when they say that the PackTrackPlus extension “… allows us to serve advertisements to you as your [sic] browse the web.”. The ads by PackTrackPlus will show as pop-ups, banners, and even in-text ads. The constant ads are sure to be annoying and to disrupt your web browsing experience. Some of the ads are used to advertise other browser hijackers, which often work by redirecting people’s searches to a search engine which inject ads into your search results.

Promotion and installation of PackTrackPlus

So, the PackTrackPlus extension isn’t actually meant to help you track your packages. It’s there to show advertisements. But who would voluntarily install an extension that only displays ads? Some crafty promotion and installation techniques will be needed to get anyone to install PackTrackPlus.

PackTrackPlus has an ordinary-looking webpage that offers to track your package if you put in your tracking number. There is an Add Extension button on the side. The front page gives visitors the impression that the add-on is only there to give them quick access to the “Track Your Package” functionality. But clicking on the Add Extension button takes you to an extension called “Offers by PackTrackPlus”, which “shows advertisements to you while you are on the web”. If you do not go and read the text in the PackTrackPlus About page, you might not realize that the software promoted by PackTrackPlus is just adware.

The PackTrackPlus website can be found naturally, by searching for a site to track packages, or through dishonest ads. Another way to get the extension is to try to track a package on another package tracking website. Instead of seeing the status of your package, you’re prompted to install an extension.

If you are seeing PackTrackPlus ads without having installed the extension, then it must have been installed without your knowledge. Extensions like PackTrackPlus are very often promoted by bundles and dishonest ads. Bundles can frame the installation of unwanted software in such a way that the victims will allow the additional programs in without being aware of what they’re doing. Not knowing that you installed a program at all makes it difficult to find out what is responsible for you seeing new intrusive ads, some of which promote other adware extensions, like FreeWeatherApp. Similar extensions include CouponRockstar and GamerSuperstar, and they also use bundling in their distribution.

To be fair, Offers by PackTrackPlus could have probably been avoided if you had read all the fine print and all the available information before installing anything. Out lack of attention is what bundlers abuse to sneak unwanted software into our computers. But it is not realistic to expect us to be so careful all the time. Advertisers and developers should be honest about what they’re promoting, and when they’re not, that’s serious cause for suspicion.

How to remove PackTrackPlus

The PackTrackPlus ads should cease when the Offers by PackTrackPlus extension is removed from your browser. Additionally, check the notification permissions. They can be abused to show you constant pop-ups even without any other software being installed.

If you suspect that PackTrackPlus was installed thanks to adware (for example, you don’t remember ever installing it yourself), you can find out which program is responsible by either researching all of your installed programs manually, or using an antivirus application, like Spyhunter, or, if you’re using a Mac, Combo-Cleaner to scan your computer and remove malware automatically.

Automatic Malware removal tools

How to remove PackTrackPlus Ads using Windows Control Panel

Many hijackers and adware like PackTrackPlus Ads install some of their components as regular Windows programs as well as additional software. This part of malware can be uninstalled from the Control Panel. To access it, do the following.

• Start→Control Panel (older Windows) or press Windows Key→Search and enter Control Panel and then press Enter (Windows 8, Windows 10).
• Choose Uninstall Program (if you don't see it, click in the upper right next to "View by" and select Category).
• Go through the list of programs and select entries related to PackTrackPlus Ads . You can click on "Name" or "Installed On" to reorder your programs and make PackTrackPlus Ads easier to find.
• Click the Uninstall button. If you're asked if you really want to remove the program, click Yes.
• In many cases anti-malware programs are better at detecting related parasites, thus I recommend installing Spyhunter to identify other programs that might be a part of this infection.

How to remove PackTrackPlus Ads from macOS

Delete PackTrackPlus Ads from your applications.

1. Open Finder.
2. In the menu bar, click Go.
3. Select Applications from the dropdown.
4. Find the PackTrackPlus Ads app.
5. Select it and right-click it (or hold the Ctrl and click the left mouse button).
6. In the dropdown, click Move to Bin/Trash. You might be asked to provide your login password.

TopRemove malicious extensions from Internet Explorer

• Press on the Gear icon→Manage Add-ons.
  
• Go through Toolbars and extensions. Remove everything related to PackTrackPlus Ads and items you do not know that are made not by Google, Microsoft, Yahoo, Oracle or Adobe.
  
• Close the Options.

(Optional) Reset your browser’s settings

If you are still experiencing any issues related to PackTrackPlus Ads, reset the settings of your browser to its default settings.

• Press on the Gear icon->Internet Options.
  
• Choose the Advanced tab and click on the Reset button.
  
• Select a “Delete personal settings” checkbox and click on the Reset button.
  
• Click on the Close button on the confirmation box, then close your browser.
  

If you cannot reset your browser settings and the problem persists, scan your system with an anti-malware program.

TopRemoving PackTrackPlus Ads from Chrome

• Click on the menu button on the top right corner of a Google Chrome window. Select “Settings”.
  
• Click “Extensions” on the left menu bar.
• Go through the extensions list and remove programs you do not need, especially similar to PackTrackPlus Ads. Click on the trash bin icon next to PackTrackPlus Ads or other add-ons you want to remove.
  
• Press on the “Remove” button on the Confirmation window.
  
• If unsure, you can disable them temporarily.
  
• Restart Chrome.

(Optional) Reset your browser’s settings

If you are still experiencing any issues related to PackTrackPlus Ads, reset the settings of your browser to its default settings.

• Click on Chrome’s menu button (three horizontal lines) and select Settings.
  
• Scroll to the end of the page and click on the Reset settings button.
  
• Click on the Reset button on the confirmation box.
  

If you cannot reset your browser settings and the problem persists, scan your system with an anti-malware program.

TopRemoving PackTrackPlus Ads from Firefox

• Click on the menu button on the top right corner of a Mozilla window and select the “Add-ons” icon (or press Ctrl+Shift+A on your keyboard).
  
• Go through Extensions and Addons list, remove everything PackTrackPlus Ads related and items you do not recognise. If you do not know the extension and it is not made by Mozilla, Google, Microsoft, Oracle or Adobe then you probably do not need it.
  

(Optional) Reset your browser’s settings If you are still experiencing any issues related to PackTrackPlus Ads, reset the settings of your browser to its default settings.

• Click on the menu button on the top right corner of a Mozilla Firefox window. Click on the Help button.
  
• Choose Troubleshooting Information on the Help menu.
  
• Click on the Reset Firefox button.
  
• Click on the Reset Firefox button on the confirmation box. Mozilla Firefox will close and change the settings to default.
  

If you cannot reset your browser settings and the problem persists, scan your system with an anti-malware program.

How to remove PackTrackPlus Ads from Microsoft Edge:Top

• Click on the menu button on the top right corner of a Microsoft Edge window. Select “Extensions”.

• Go through the extensions list and remove programs you do not need, especially similar to PackTrackPlus Ads. Click on the "Remove" icon next to PackTrackPlus Ads or other add-ons you want to remove.

• Press on the “Remove” button on the Confirmation window.

• If unsure, you can disable them temporarily.

• Restart Microsoft Edge.

TopRemoving PackTrackPlus Ads from Safari (Mac OS X)

• Click on the Safari menu.
• Choose Preferences.
  
• Click on the Extensions Tab.
• Click on the Uninstall button near the PackTrackPlus Ads. Remove all other unknown or suspicious entries too. If you are not sure whether you need the extension or not, you can simply uncheck the Enable check-box to disable the extension temporarily.
  
• Restart Safari.

(Optional) Reset your browser’s settings

If you are still experiencing any issues related to PackTrackPlus Ads, reset the settings of your browser to its default settings.

• Click on the Safari menu on the top left corner of the screen. Select Reset Safari.
  
• Select which options you want to reset (usually all of them come preselected) and click on the Reset button.
  

If you cannot reset your browser settings and the problem persists, scan your system with an anti-malware program.