People are scrambling to find wads of cash dropped all over American cities

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 Doritios 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 Media and Communication. "It says a lot about where we are right now, where there's growing inflation, a lot of economic uncertainty."

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."

Kristopher Groves, president of PassPass, which does cash drops across the country, said the model can lead to a variety of revenue streams.