People Are Racing to Find Wads of Cash Hidden All Over American Cities

Across cities in the United States, social media accounts are hiding rolls of cash in candy bags, takeout boxes, and tree hollows — then posting clues online and watching people race to find the money. The trend has spread to more than two dozen cities, with over 7 million followers tracking these accounts. Winners have been spotted arriving on bikes, in cars, and on foot, sometimes still in their office clothes. The hunts are part game, part business, and part community — and they are growing fast.

One popular account called @nyc_money_hunt posts videos showing white-gloved hands placing thick rolls of cash inside everyday objects like Doritos bags or Ziploc bags. The person behind the account then hides the cash somewhere in New York City and shares a video online. Within minutes, followers rush to the spot hoping to grab the prize. One drop was hidden in a puddle under a shopping center sign in Staten Island, and a crowd of cars and people showed up almost immediately to search for it.

A similar account called @passpassbos does the same thing in Boston. The person running it posted a video saying, 'Here's a BIG drop for you Boston,' and people arrived within minutes to search. These accounts are part of a larger network of cash drop pages that operate in cities across the country. Together, they have attracted millions of followers who tune in for every new drop.

The company behind PassPass is run by two brothers, Kristopher and Edgel Groves. Kristopher, who is the president of the company, said they came up with the idea about two years ago when they were trying to get people to download their app. They had been working on a discount deals app but were struggling to attract users without spending a lot of money on advertising. Then they tried promoting it through cash drops, and the videos went viral.

The PassPass app now has about 200,000 registered users, and their city-specific accounts bring in between 100 and 150 million video views every month. Users with a free account can play arcade games to win prizes, while paid subscribers get hints about upcoming cash drop locations. Kristopher Groves said the company makes money through business sponsorships, platform ad revenue, and app subscriptions. Even anonymous accounts earn income by collecting names and emails from people who enter sponsored giveaways.

In December, a CBS News camera crew followed a PassPass drop in Pittsburgh. Less than a minute after the location was posted online, a woman named Nicole came running into the cold. She grabbed the box of cash and stuffed it under her sweatshirt. Out of breath but smiling, she said, 'It is a merry Christmas. It's going to help a lot.'

Not all cash drop accounts are connected to a company with known founders — some are completely anonymous, meaning no one knows who runs them. Jessica Rauchberg, who studies online creators at the University of Leeds, said these mystery accounts are popular because followers are curious and the drops feel like genuine gifts rather than ads. She also said the trend connects to real economic stress that many people are feeling right now. 'This is tied to a larger cultural moment,' she said, pointing to rising prices and financial uncertainty.

At a Juici Patties restaurant in downtown Brooklyn, a store employee named Latoya Samuel watched one of the NYC Money Hunt drops happen right in front of her. A woman came in and found a large amount of cash hidden inside a takeout container, then began to cry when she realized what she had found. 'She was saying, I can buy this for my child, I can buy that for my child,' Samuel recalled. A newer employee overheard the story and was excited to learn a drop had happened right where she worked.

The newer employee said she already follows the account and believes in what it does. 'It's just fun. Gives you some hope,' she said. 'A lot of people really need it.' Her words summed up why millions of people keep watching and waiting for the next drop. For many, the hunts are about more than just the money — they are a moment of excitement in an uncertain world.