2026年8月21日 / 美国东部时间下午3:48 / 哥伦比亚广播公司（CBS）新闻
作者：格雷厄姆·凯茨 记者
格雷厄姆·凯茨是哥伦比亚广播公司新闻数字部负责刑事司法、隐私问题和信息安全的调查记者。可通过KatesG@cbsnews.com或grahamkates@protonmail.com联系他。
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视频中出现一卷厚到足以让托尼·瑟普拉诺都赞叹的现金。戴着白手套的手将这捆现金塞进空的多力多滋薯片袋，随手扔在树下。镜头扫过公园内闲逛的人群，他们完全没注意到身边被留下的宝藏。
不久后，一个名为@nyc_money_hunt的Instagram账号发布了这段视频，并配文：“找到就是你的，找到现金后标记我们！”
次日，在以北200多英里的波士顿，一个名为@passpassbos的无关账号发布了类似内容：“波士顿的各位，这里有一大笔钱等你来拿。如果你认为爱国者队今天会‘拿下’这些钞票，就点赞这个短视频吧！🏈 祝狩猎顺利”
两个账号后续发布的视频显示，获奖者在数分钟内就找到了现金，其他人则紧随其后，赶到时却已错失这笔横财。
这类“撒钱”账号在社交媒体上大量涌现，促使全美各地城市的民众四处奔走，寻找藏在糖果袋、信封、钥匙锁、外卖盒、油漆罐里，或是藏在篮球、橄榄球（获奖者可一并带走）上的现金。现金被扔在灌木丛下、管道里、贴在墙上、留在繁忙的路边、绿树成荫的公园步道旁、垃圾桶中，还被塞进树洞。寻钱者穿着各异：运动服、西装，有人因匆忙出门而穿得单薄，抵御不住寒冷；有人则在酷暑中穿着过于正式，像是从办公室冲出来的。他们骑着自行车、踏板车，开车或步行赶来。别担心正在花坛旁检查的警察，他其实也盼着能抢到这笔现金。
有时这类撒钱活动与促销活动绑定——比如针对人身伤害律师、当地餐厅、青年足球俱乐部的推广。有时唯一被宣传的只是账号本身。
大多数这类账号都隶属于大型全国性运营网络。有些账号匿名，也就是所谓的“匿名幕后团队”。哥伦比亚广播公司新闻调查了50多个覆盖约24座城市的账号，它们的总粉丝数超过700万。
“这与当下的文化热潮息息相关，”利兹大学传播学院研究创作者并开展讲座的杰西卡·劳赫伯格说道，“这充分反映了我们当前的处境：通胀持续走高，经济充满诸多不确定性。”
纽约市和洛杉矶撒钱活动视频截图。Instagram / @PassPassNY, @PassPassLA
近日，NYC Money Hunt将一大捆现金整齐地装进保鲜袋，放在斯塔滕岛一座购物中心的桥墩下的水洼里。这名匿名账号运营者后来发布了后续视频，显示这笔钱很快就被人找到了。视频还显示大量车辆和人群涌向该停车场，人们小心翼翼地绕过水洼，四处搜寻现金。
NYC Money Hunt没有回复记者的置评请求，但在给哥伦比亚广播公司新闻的邮件中表示：“我们对品牌和这项业务都充满了极大的热情。”
但这项业务到底是如何盈利的？
在全美各地开展撒钱活动的PassPass公司总裁克里斯托弗·格罗夫斯表示，这种模式可以带来多种收入来源。即便对于匿名账号，本地企业赞助通常也是业务核心，他们可以借此获得营销机会，以及参与赞助赠品活动的用户的姓名和邮箱等第一方数据。
拥有大量粉丝的撒钱账号还可以通过其视频获得的数百万次播放量，从Facebook、YouTube和其他平台获取收益。
“如果运营者足够精明，这类内容还可以通过其他渠道赚大钱，”格罗夫斯说道。
以PassPass为例，该公司围绕撒钱体验打造了一款应用。拥有基础账户的用户可以免费玩街机游戏，有机会赢取包括现金在内的奖品；付费订阅用户则可以获得赠品活动的额外参与机会、旅游优惠以及即将开展的撒钱活动地点的提示。
格罗夫斯表示，该应用的注册用户约有20万，公司旗下各城市专属的撒钱社交媒体账号（例如@PassPassChicago）每月的浏览量可达1亿至1.5亿次。
格罗夫斯和担任公司首席执行官的兄弟埃奇尔曾思考，这是否“只是一时的热潮，毕竟当前经济不景气”。但他们认为并非如此。
“人类历史上什么时候有人会嫌免费的钱太多？”格罗夫斯反问道，随后他回忆起一个场景：一名男子开着兰博基尼驱车赶来参加撒钱活动。
“他说，‘这太有意思了。下次撒钱活动是什么时候？’他当时正和女友坐在车里，说完就开着兰博基尼疾驰而去，”格罗夫斯笑着说道。
他表示，公司大约在两年前想到了这种模式，当时他们正在运营一个被他们称为“颠覆Groupon的折扣业务”。
“我们当时很头疼：如果没有Groupon那样的预算来获取用户，我们该怎么让人们下载我们的应用？”格罗夫斯说道。他们尝试通过撒钱活动进行营销时，突然茅塞顿开。
他们的视频反响极佳，于是决定围绕其开发技术，“将其打造成一个完整的社区，让那些在Instagram上热爱这类活动的人可以将其转化为规模更大的业务和产品”。
“人们真的会立刻冲出办公室，因为他们发现活动地点就在街对面。如果拿到了钱，他们就会说‘哦，我赢了！’然后挥舞着双手，‘我得回去上班了’，”格罗夫斯说道。
这种情况在去年12月确实发生过，哥伦比亚广播公司匹兹堡分社跟随PassPass在当地开展了一场撒钱活动。活动帖子发布不到一分钟，一名女子就冒着严寒跑了过来。
这名获胜者名叫妮可，她喘着粗气，怀里紧紧抱着塞进卫衣里的装着现金的盒子，告诉记者：“这真是个快乐的圣诞节。这笔钱能帮上大忙。”
虽然PassPass所属公司的创始人公开了自己的身份，但有些账号完全保持匿名。劳赫伯格表示，匿名账号往往能取得成功，因为“它自带神秘感和吸引力”，同时也因为它们不像网红那样直白地推销品牌合作。
“这与我们所谓的‘网红衰退’‘网红消亡’‘网红断崖’等现象息息相关，无论你怎么称呼它。观众开始意识到，网红营销和内容创作虽然看似基于现实，但并不总是真实的，”劳赫伯格说道。
NYC Money Hunt始终保持着这种“神秘感”。他的视频只露出戴白手套的手，从不露出任何可识别的特征或信息。他在Instagram上已经积累了超过40万粉丝，在其他平台上的粉丝数量也有数万。曾通过该账号赞助过两场撒钱活动的两名人士（分别代表当地一家青年足球俱乐部和一家Cinnabon加盟店）表示，他们无法透露相关合作细节。
这种匿名性有时会引发争议。Instagram和TikTok上的一些用户制作视频或发帖，毫无根据地猜测撒钱活动是假的，或是获奖场面是摆拍的。另一些人则对该账号大加赞赏。
“你做这件事真是太善良了，上帝保佑你。人们确实需要这样的帮助 😍😍😍👏👏👏” 去年冬天一场撒钱活动后，一名粉丝这样留言。哥伦比亚广播公司新闻无法追踪到他100多场撒钱活动中任何一名获奖者的信息，但一名目击者描述，一名女子在发现自己找到现金时激动得哭了。
1月24日，该账号运营者将一大捆现金放进Juici Patties的外卖盒里，将其放在该连锁店布鲁克林市中心分店的角落，作为赞助促销活动的一部分。
该店店员拉托娅·塞缪尔在柜台后目睹了全过程。她说，她看到毫无防备的顾客从奖品旁径直走过，直到一名女子特意走进来才找到了这笔钱。
塞缪尔说，那名女子当时情绪激动。
“哦，她哭了，”塞缪尔说道，“她念叨着，‘我可以给孩子买这个，我可以给孩子买那个。’”
一名新入职的员工听到了这段对话，对自己工作的店里居然举办了一场撒钱活动感到惊讶和兴奋，她说自己也关注了这个账号。
“这真的很有趣。给了人们一些希望，”她说道，“很多人真的很需要这笔钱。”
People are scrambling to find wads of cash dropped all over American cities
August 21, 2026 / 3:48 PM EDT / CBS News
By Graham Kates Reporter
Graham Kates is an investigative reporter covering criminal justice, privacy issues and information security for CBS News Digital. Contact Graham at KatesG@cbsnews.com or grahamkates@protonmail.com
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The video shows what appears to be a roll of cash so thick it would impress Tony Soprano. White-gloved hands place the wad in an empty Doritos bag, and toss it casually under a tree. The camera pans to show people hanging out in the park, completely unaware of the treasure left in their midst.
Shortly after, an Instagram account called @nyc_money_hunt posts the video, writing beneath it, “Finders keepers Tag us when you find the cash!”
The next day, more than 200 miles north, an unrelated account called @passpassbos makes a similar post: “Here’s a BIG drop for you Boston. Like this reel if you think the patriots are taking down the bills today!!!! 🏈 good luck on this hunt”
Subsequent videos from each account show winners finding the money within minutes, and others not far behind, arriving too late to claim the loot.
Cash drop accounts like this have proliferated on social media sites, sending people running in cities across the country, chasing money left in candy bags, envelopes, key locks, takeout boxes, paint cans or covering things like basketballs and footballs (that the winners also get to keep). They’re tossed beneath bushes, in pipes, taped to walls, left on the side of busy thoroughfares, near leafy park trails, in trash bins and stuffed into tree hollows. The money hunters arrive in sweats, suits, underdressed for cold weather like they ran out of their apartment, or overdressed for a sprint in the heat like they darted from the office, on bikes and scooters, in cars and by foot. Don’t worry about that cop inspecting the garden bed, he’s actually hoping to win the cash.
Sometimes the drops are tied to promotions — for personal injury attorneys, local restaurants, a youth soccer club. Other times the only thing being hyped is the account itself.
Most accounts are tied to large national networks. Some are anonymous, also known as faceless. CBS News reviewed more than 50 accounts spanning about two dozen cities, with over 7 million followers between them.
“This is tied to a larger cultural moment,” said Jessica Rauchberg, who studies creators and lectures at the University of Leeds School of Communication. “It says a lot about where we are right now, where there’s growing inflation, a lot of economic uncertainty.”
Images from cash drop videos in New York City and Los Angeles. Instagram / @PassPassNY, @PassPassLA
Recently, NYC Money Hunt neatly tucked a massive stack of cash into a Ziploc bag and left it in a puddle beneath a Staten Island shopping center pylon. The anonymous person later posted a follow-up video showing the money was quickly found. It also showed a herd of cars and people descending on the lot, gingerly navigating the puddle while searching for the cash.
NYC Money Hunt did not answer questions, but said in response to emails from CBS News, “We’re incredibly passionate about both the brand and the business.”
But what exactly is the business?
Kristopher Groves, president of PassPass, which does cash drops across the country, said the model can lead to a variety of revenue streams. Even for anonymous accounts, local business sponsorships are typically at the core of the business, they can get marketing and first-party data like names and emails of people who expressed interest in sponsored giveaways.
Cash drop accounts with large followings can also generate revenue from Facebook, YouTube and other platforms through the millions of views garnered by their videos.
“There are a lot of ways this content can make money through other channels if they’re really savvy,” Groves said.
In the case of PassPass, that’s meant building an app around the cash drop experience. Users with a basic account can play free arcade games with the chance to win prizes, including cash, and paid subscribers get access to bonus entries for giveaways, travel deals and hints about the locations of upcoming cash drops.
Groves said the app has about 200,000 registered users, and the company’s collection of city-specific cash drop social media accounts (for instance @PassPassChicago) brings in 100 to 150 million views a month.
Groves and his brother Edgel, who’s CEO of the company, have contemplated whether this is “just a fad, because the economy sucks right now.” They think not.
“When in the history of humanity have people been tired of free money?” Groves asked rhetorically, before recalling an instance when he said a guy sped to a cash drop in a Lamborghini.
“He’s like, ‘This is so much fun. When’s the next drop?’ He’s in the car with his girlfriend and he peels away in his Lambo,” Groves said, laughing.
He said the company hit on the model about two years ago, after pursuing a discounts business they thought of as “like a Groupon-disruptor.”
“We were struggling with how do we get people to download the app if we don’t have a Groupon-style budget to acquire users?” Groves said. An “aha” moment came when they tried marketing through cash drops.
Their videos did so well, they decided to build technology around it, “making it a whole community where people who love this on Instagram can actually turn this into a much bigger business and product.”
“People will literally just sprint out of their office, because they realize it’s across the street. And if they get it, they’re like, ‘Oh, I won!’ And they throw up their hands like, ‘I gotta get back to work,’” Groves said.
Images from cash drop videos in San Diego and Pittsburgh. Instagram / @PassPassSanDiego, @PassPassPittsburgh
That happened in December when CBS Pittsburgh tagged along with a PassPass drop in that city. Less than a minute after the drop was posted, a woman came running into the cold.
Out of breath, clutching a box of cash that she stuffed beneath her sweatshirt, the winner, who said her name was Nicole, told the station, “It is a merry Christmas. It’s going to help a lot.”
While PassPass is part of a company with founders who are open about their identities, some accounts maintain complete anonymity. Rauchberg said faceless accounts often succeed because “there’s a mystery, there’s an intrigue,” but also because they lack the overt salesmanship of influencers hawking brand partnerships.
“It’s connected to this larger reckoning of what we’re calling ‘the influencer recession’ or ‘the influencer death,’ ‘influencer cliff,’ whatever you want to call it. Audiences are beginning to realize that influencing and content creation, while it seems to build on reality, is not always real,” Rauchberg said.
NYC Money Hunt is committed to the bit. His videos show only his white-gloved hands and no identifying features or information. He’s racked up more than 400,000 followers on Instagram and thousands more on other platforms. Two people who sponsored drops with the account, on behalf of a local youth soccer club and a Cinnabon franchise, said they were unable to discuss the arrangements.
The anonymity can sometimes be divisive. Some on Instagram and TikTok have made videos or posts speculating without evidence that the drops are fake, or the wins staged. Others lavish the account with praise.
“Is so nice you do this, God Bless you. People need this help 😍😍😍👏👏👏” one follower wrote after a drop last winter. CBS News was unable to track down any of the winners from his more than 100 drops, but a witness to one described a woman in tears when she realized she had found the money.
On Jan. 24, the man behind the account dropped a huge clump of cash into a Juici Patties takeout container, leaving it in a corner of the chain’s downtown Brooklyn franchise, as part of a sponsored promotion.
Store employee Latoya Samuel watched the whole thing from behind the counter. She described seeing unsuspecting people walk right by the prize before a woman came in purposefully and found it.
Samuel said the moment hit the woman hard.
“Oh, she was crying,” Samuel said. “She was saying, ‘I can buy this for my child, I can buy that for my child.’”
Overhearing the conversation, a new employee was surprised and excited to hear one of the drops happened at her store. She said she follows the account.
“It’s just fun. Gives you some hope,” she said. “A lot of people really need it.”