How to remove Coupon Chaser virus

Coupon Chaser – an adware product that provides users with the latest sales offers and is created by Innovative Apps and 215Apps

Coupon Chaser adware

Coupon Chaser is a third-party advertising service that has been released by two companies named Innovative Apps and 215Apps. This adware usually comes in a bundle with other potentially unwanted programs such as Yontoo, Superfish, 1ClickDownloader, and FBPhotoZoom. It aims to display advertisements that sponsor the latest sales offers and give advice on how to get some products for a very low price.

The infection can appear on various social platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and on e-shopping websites such as Amazon, AliExpress, eBay, Walmart, and inject the “See similar” feature on every product offer. If the user clicks that button, he/she will be provided with the article's culprit's ads.

If you are using a Windows computer, you might find some rogue processes running in the Task Manager and suspicious components hidden in the C:\Program Files\ and C:\ProgramData sections. Also, the adware copies its main file named Coupon Chase-bho.dll to the hard drive of the affected device.

Name	Coupon Chaser
Developer(S)	Innovative Apps, 215Apps
Bundled with	This app can come in a bundle with other third-party programs such as Superfish, Yontoo, FBPhotoZoom, 1ClickDownload, etc.
Main task	The main goal of this adware program is to provide various sales' offers while visiting popular e-shopping websites or social platforms
Location(s)	Once this adware settles on the computer system, it can fill the Windows Task Manager with questionable processes and include suspicious files in the C:\Program Files\ and C:\ProgramData sections
Elimination	If you have been dealing with this PUP lately, you can try to get rid of it by completing manual step-by-step guidelines or by using automatical software
Fixing tool	Try repairing any system compromisation with Fortect Intego

Coupon Chaser is not a trustworthy application that you should leave lurking on your machine. Even though this program is most likely to appear on your Windows computer system, it can still approach you even if you are using a Mac device.

The adware infiltrates all types of web browser applications such as Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Internet Explorer, Microsoft Edge, and Safari. The PUP fills these apps with questionable extensions, add-ons, and plug-ins that allow the adware to fulfill its functions such as advertising, redirecting, and collecting browsing-based details.

Once you are infected with Coupon Chaser virus, there is a big chance that you will experience intense advertising while using the web browser where the adware is installed in. This adware aims to load various sales offers and shopping deals that are likely to look very attractive and trick gullible users into spending their money on unneeded products.

Coupon Chaser virus

Be careful with adware and its ads. If you are browsing on an e-shopping platform such as Walmart, AliExpress, eBay, or Amazon, you might be provided with such advertisements. The notifications that come from Coupon Chaser can decrease the speed and quality of your browsing process. Later on, you might find yourself struggling to open certain websites, minimize and maximize windows, close pages. Additionally, this can affect your computer resources such as the CPU and start eating up energy and power.

Furthermore, adware can initiate redirecting sessions to affiliate domains. These places can also be filled with questionable content such as various surveys, scams, fake prize claims. If you receive any type of encouragement to provide personal information or credential data, do not do that as, otherwise, you might experience identity theft or monetary losses.

Coupon Chaser

Another bad purpose of the PUP redirects might be to take you to potentially malicious locations. This way the hackers might be able to inject dangerous malware such as trojans or ransomware into your computer system. Afterward, you are likely to experience severe system/software damage, important data loss, overheated CPU,^[1] etc.

Remove Coupon Chaser before you land on such damaging directories. The adware program can be easily terminated with the help of automatic removal tools such as Malwarebytes Malwarebytes and SpyHunter Combo Cleaner. You should choose this type of process over the manual possibility if you are a less-experienced user or have been running into some problems related to time limits.

Adware can also aim to inject HTTP cookies, beacons, and pixels^[2] for tracking your browsing information. The PUP might record data such as pages visited, hyperlinks and ads clicked, saved bookmarks, your IP, geolocation. Then, the details might be passed on to other parties for income or used as a way of developing more advanced targeted advertising.

Since you know all about the annoying adware, this should be enough for you to want to perform Coupon Chaser removal. If you are infected with this PUP and have been looking forward to using manual instructions, you can find some steps at the end of this page. Also, try Fortect Intego for repairing any compromised entries that the adware might have affected on your PC.

Freeware and shareware apps often hide adware in their extra attachments

Adware programs usually travel around as additional attachments of various freeware and shareware. Therefore, it is possible to find such a program on your computer without downloading it. If you want to protect your computer from similar intruders, we can give you a couple of helpful tips on how you can do that.

First of all, avoid downloading unfamiliar programs from download websites such as cnet.com, softonic.com, soft32.com, and download.com. As you can imagine, free programs are usually supported by advertising or such applications have extra attachments by which unwanted products can easily slip into the computer system.

Secondly, if you are installing an unfamiliar freeware,^[3] it is recommended to read its end-user license agreement (EULA) part and the Privacy Policy. Thirdly, you should also follow the entire installation process in order to spot unwanted attachments by selecting Custom or Advanced installation of the freeware.

Finally, taking care of automatic protection is also an important thing to think of while seeking to prevent adware programs from entering your machine repeatedly. Choose a reliable antivirus product to purchase from the Internet and download it to your computer system. Afterward, keep the app regularly updated for its proper functionality.

Removing Coupon Chaser virus from your computer

Coupon Chaser virus should be removed after you find the program distracting you and interrupting your computing work. There are specific tools that can help you to deal with this type of process, also known as antimalware software. According to Virusai.lt experts,^[4] using antivirus tools is the best way to get rid of all types of cyber threats.

Downloading and running automated products will make the removal process smoother and more efficient. This way you will be sure that you have not missed any suspicious products that were injected by the adware program. Also, the entire task will take no longer than 5-10 minutes and will require almost none of the user's effort.

However, you can also remove Coupon Chaser with the help of manual guiding steps. At the end of this article, we have included improved instructions on the termination process of this adware. Keep in mind that you need to clean not only your OS but also web browser apps such as Chrome, Firefox, Explorer, Edge, and Safari.

Uninstall from Windows

Uninstall from Windows 10/8:

Type Control Panel into the Windows search box and open the result.
Under Programs, select Uninstall a program.

Uninstall from Windows 7/XP:

Click on Windows Start > Control Panel (Windows XP users should click on Add/Remove Programs).
In Control Panel, select Programs > Uninstall a program.

Remove the unwanted program:

In the Programs and Features window, look for any recently installed suspicious entries, select them, and click Uninstall.
If User Account Control appears, click Yes to confirm, then complete the removal.

Delete from macOS

Remove the unwanted application:

From the menu bar, select Go > Applications.
In the Applications folder, look for any suspicious entries, then drag them to Trash (or right-click and pick Move to Trash).

Delete leftover files and folders:

Select Go > Go to Folder.
Enter /Library/Application Support and remove any suspicious folders related to the unwanted program.
Repeat the same check in the /Library/LaunchAgents and /Library/LaunchDaemons folders, deleting any suspicious entries.
Finally, empty the Trash to permanently remove the leftovers.

Remove from Microsoft Edge

Delete unwanted extensions from MS Edge:

Select Menu (three horizontal dots at the top-right of the browser window) and pick Extensions.
From the list, pick the extension and click on the Gear icon.
Click Remove.

Clear cookies and other browser data:

Click on the Menu (three horizontal dots at the top-right of the browser window) and select Settings > Privacy, search, and services..
Under Clear browsing data, pick Choose what to clear.
Select Cookies and other site data and Cached images and files. (apart from passwords, although you might want to include Media licenses as well, if applicable) and click on Clear.

Restore new tab and homepage settings:

Click the menu icon and choose Settings.
Then find On startup section.
Click Remove next to any suspicious startup page.

Reset MS Edge if the above steps did not work:

Press on Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager.
Click on More details arrow at the bottom of the window.
Select Details tab.
Now scroll down and locate every entry with Microsoft Edge name in it. Right-click on each of them and select End Task to stop MS Edge from running.

Instructions for Chromium-based Edge

Delete extensions from MS Edge (Chromium):

Open Edge and click select Settings > Extensions.
Delete unwanted extensions by clicking Remove.

Clear cache and site data:

Click on Menu and go to Settings.
Select Privacy, search and services.
Under Clear browsing data, pick Choose what to clear.
Under Time range, pick All time.
Select Clear now.

Reset Chromium-based MS Edge:

Click on Menu and select Settings.
On the left side, pick Reset settings.
Select Restore settings to their default values.
Confirm with Reset.
This will disable extensions and reset startup pages but will not delete bookmarks, saved passwords, or browsing history.

Remove from Mozilla Firefox (FF)

Remove dangerous extensions:

Open Mozilla Firefox browser and click on the Menu (three horizontal lines at the top-right of the window).
Select Add-ons.
In here, select the unwanted extension and click Remove.

Reset the homepage:

Click three horizontal lines at the top right corner to open the menu.
Choose Settings.
Under Home, set your preferred homepage and new tab settings.

Clear cookies and site data:

Click Menu and pick Settings.
Go to Privacy & Security section.
Scroll down to locate Cookies and Site Data.
Click on Clear Data...
Select Cookies and Site Data and Temporary cached files and pages, then click Clear.

Reset Mozilla Firefox

If clearing the browser as explained above did not help, reset Mozilla Firefox:

Open Mozilla Firefox browser and click the Menu.
Go to Help and then choose Troubleshooting Information.
Under Give Firefox a tune up section, click on Refresh Firefox...
Once the pop-up shows up, confirm the action by pressing on Refresh Firefox.

Remove from Google Chrome

Delete malicious extensions from Google Chrome:

Open Google Chrome, click on the Menu (three vertical dots at the top-right corner) and select More tools > Extensions.
In the newly opened window, you will see all the installed extensions. Uninstall all suspicious extensions related to the unwanted program by clicking Remove.

Clear cache and web data from Chrome:

Click on Menu and pick Settings.
Under Privacy and security, select Clear browsing data.
Select Browsing history, Cookies and other site data, as well as Cached images and files.
Click Clear data.

Change your homepage:

Click menu and choose Settings.
Look for a suspicious site in the On startup section.
Click on Open a specific or set of pages and click on three dots to find the Remove option.

Reset Google Chrome:

If the previous methods did not help you, reset Google Chrome to eliminate all the unwanted components:

Click on Menu and select Settings.
In the Settings, scroll down and click Advanced.
Scroll down and locate Reset and clean up section.
Now click Restore settings to their original defaults.
Confirm with Reset settings.

Delete from Safari

Remove dangerous extensions:

Open Safari, click Safari in the menu at the top-left of the screen, and select Preferences.
Go to the Extensions tab, look for any suspicious entries, and click Uninstall to remove them.

Clear history and website data:

Click Safari in the menu and pick Clear History.
Set Clear to all history and confirm with Clear History.

Reset Safari:

Click Safari in the menu and select Preferences > Advanced.
Enable Show Develop menu in menu bar.
From the menu bar, click Develop and select Empty Caches.