In more than two dozen American cities this summer, social media accounts have taken to hiding real cash in public places and daring their followers to find it first. Instagram and TikTok accounts such as @nyc_money_hunt, which has surpassed 400,000 followers, and city-specific "PassPass" accounts in Boston, Chicago and beyond post short videos of bills tucked into snack bags, paint cans, storm drains and takeout boxes, then let the scramble begin. Similar accounts now operate in San Diego, Los Angeles and Pittsburgh, among other cities, each building a local following around the same premise: real money, hidden in public, first come first served.
The format has proven durable. Kansas City's CashStash KC draws tens of thousands of hopeful viewers each week it drops a bundle, and Louisville's "Find the Cash" account has grown past 111,000 followers since launching. Combined, more than 50 city accounts tracked by industry watchers have amassed over 7 million followers, according to CBS News.
The hunts are not purely charitable. PassPass, which runs a network of city accounts along with a companion app used by roughly 200,000 people, earns revenue from local business sponsorships, platform ad payouts on videos that draw 100 million to 150 million views a month, and paid subscriptions that offer hints or bonus entries. "There are a lot of ways this content can make money through other channels if they're really savvy," PassPass president Kristopher Groves told CBS News.
Not every viewer arrives in time. A recurring beat in the videos shows a runner-up reaching the drop site only to find an empty bag or an already-rifled trash bin, footage that has become as much a part of the format's appeal as the wins themselves.
For winners, the payoff feels more immediate than commercial. After a Pittsburgh drop this year, one winner named Nicole described the find in simple terms.
It is a merry Christmas. It's going to help a lot.
Nicole, Pittsburgh cash-drop winner, to CBS News
Whether the trend keeps its momentum through the fall, organizers say, depends on cities' tolerance for crowds chasing envelopes down sidewalks — and sponsors' willingness to keep footing the bill.
