An anonymous real estate developer started the hidden cash frenzy in San Francisco

May 31, 2014 08:40 GMT  ·  By
An anonymous real estate developer started the hidden cash frenzy in San Francisco
   An anonymous real estate developer started the hidden cash frenzy in San Francisco

An anonymous real estate magnate initiated an interesting campaign last week in an attempt to give back to the community – he has been hiding envelopes stuffed with cash in different locations across San Francisco and has been giving hints on where to find them on Twitter.

According to The Bold Italic, a Bay Area online magazine, the hidden cash frenzy started when a mystery person emailed them to say that they had launched a campaign in which they hid money all over the city with no commercial interest whatsoever.

Those who are lucky enough to find the hidden stash are asked to tweet a photo and tag @HiddenCash, whose mystery operator said his mission was to inspire others to pay it forward. The account was created on May 23, and already has more than 344,000 followers.

“This will continue indefinitely. There is nothing commercial behind this. It is a social experiment,” the anonymous donor wrote in their email. “Our Twitter page will show people where the money is hidden. There are a few hundred dollars hidden last night already, and this will continue. We have two $100 bills hidden and some $20s.”

The benefactor said he had found success with a recent real estate investment, and explained that dropping bills around the city was his way to thank the community. He wanted to share his wealth with the less fortunate and called his actions a “social experiment for good.”

“The bigger idea is just to give back, both financially and a sense of fun to the community that has made me wealthy,” he said.

In San Francisco, people have found money hidden in parking lots, at bus stops and even in trees. The generous donor inspired people in D.C., New Orleans, Los Angeles, Dallas and Vancouver to also leave envelopes stuffed with cash around their cities, sparking actual hidden cash hunts.

The hidden cash initiative is now a nationwide phenomenon, and while in most cities the benefactors preferred to remain anonymous, in Toronto, the donor has decided to reveal his identity and tweets clues from his official Twitter account. His name is Russell “the Cashman” Oliver of Oliver Jewellery and he hopes this campaign will encourage people to share the wealth.

“The more buzz, the more I'll increase the amount of envelopes and the amount of cash in them!” he told CBC News.

Actually, paying it forward is a key component of the initiative, so local businesses are also encouraged to “sponsor” envelopes with cash or gift cards.