11.08.24 – Money lying on the street to give away? Everyone has probably dreamed of that at some point. What sounds like wishful thinking actually exists in Fulda. The Instagram account “Cash Catch Fulda” makes it possible. Every week, money is hidden in a new place. The money can be found according to the motto: first come, first served. OSTHESSEN|NEWS has also been lying in wait and has investigated who is behind the money and the account.
Money lying on the street to give away? Everyone has probably dreamed of that. …Photos: Eduard Reinhardt
We contact the account and ask for an interview. In fact, it works…
Every week money is hidden in a new place. The money can be found very easily…
The Instagram account “Cash Catch Fulda” has been around for about four months. Every week, money is hidden in a different place in the city. Beforehand, the time and a video in which the hiding place is partially revealed are published. Admittedly, at first glance it looks more like a bad joke. Who would just give away money? We set out to find out: Who or what is behind it and where does all the money come from?
Our research begins – where else – on Instagram. We contact the account and ask for an interview. It actually works and the person behind the profile contacts us. We meet at a neutral location, the Fulda meadows. The man behind the account wants to remain anonymous. With a black hoodie pulled over his head, he gives us an interview. We assure him that we will keep his identity secret, otherwise he probably wouldn’t talk to us.
Where does the money come from?
It’s a mystery: why do people give away so much money and where does it come from? “The money comes from my own pocket. I hope that the account will grow so much and we can do more collaborations so that the account will eventually pay off,” he answers. With currently over 6,000 followers and a collaboration with Finanzguru, that is not yet the case. Nevertheless, the profile and followers are growing steadily.
The creator explains the motivation behind the hide-and-seek game as follows: It gives him pleasure to make other people happy. “It reminds people of a scavenger hunt from the past, where they can find money through a lot of excitement.” The concept is – not surprisingly – well received by people. According to the profile, between 20 and 30 people actively search for the new hiding place in each event.
Not a Fulda phenomenon
The concept of the account is interesting, but not as unusual as it seems at first glance. The profile on Fulda is actually not that unusual. There are already similar accounts in several cities – now also in Fulda. Whether the campaigns will ultimately pay off in the long term is still up in the air. For now, however, the “Creator” offers the people who actively participate in the searches a lot of fun. The winner of the last search campaign says in an interview with O|N: “I still have adrenaline. I’m still really excited. Glad I found it.”
Watch a video about the scavenger hunt below. The Instagram profile can be found at https://www.instagram.com/cashcatchfulda/By the way: the account is currently looking for additional sponsors.
(Katharina Geppert) +++
