Hidden Cash Twitter Craze Hits Chicago

The movement, which sprouted in San Francisco and generated a mini-Gold Rush that has since spread to cities across the nation, began in the Windy City Memorial Day

It appears the Hidden Cash Twitter craze has made its way to Chicago.

Using the Twitter handle @HiddenCashChi, someone has been leaving envelopes of money around the city.

The hidden money movement, which sprouted as an experiment in San Francisco and generated a mini-Gold Rush that has since spread to cities across the nation, began in the Windy City Memorial Day with the first clue posted on Tuesday.

Juan Campos was the first to find the hidden stash of $40.

Campos was donating clothes at a donation box on Western and Grand Avenues on the city’s Northwest Side.

“I saw a note attached to the bin and I thought it was like people advertising for a yard sale or apartments for rent,” Campos said. “At first I didn’t know what it was, then I actually opened it and that’s when I realized.”

Campos said he was reading about the San Francisco events earlier in the day, but didn’t know it had to spread to the city.

“It was a bit of a surprise,” he said. “I wasn’t actively searching for it but I thought it was pretty neat that I happened upon it while I was donating clothes.”

Campos tweeted a photo to the Twitter handle, as requested on the envelope he found, and said the manager of the page asked him to “pay it forward.”

“We went back and forth and they suggested a random act of kindness,” he said.

The same day he found the money Campos said he decided to buy someone’s coffee. The next day he bought someone’s breakfast at Starbucks.

According to the Twitter page, at least four other envelopes were hidden around the city Tuesday, and one other person had found an envelope.

And apparently more envelopes are on their way.

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