Man brings cash drops to Albuquerque with 'Get the Cash ABQ'

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — You may have seen videos on Instagram and TikTok of someone hiding money around Albuquerque for people to find.

It’s not a bad way to win some fast cash, as long as you know where to look. The clues that “Get the Cash ABQ” posts are quick and mysterious.

You may even wonder, “Is this legit?” We found out, it is.

And it’s drawn in a lot of people, including Vincent Montano. We were there when he found the cash drop one day.

“We woke up, I saw it. I saw he posted a reel, then I just ran down to get in the truck. I didn’t get ready or anything. Didn’t even put my contacts in, and I just ran down here in like five minutes and found it,” Montano said.

Montano said he and his girlfriend have been following the account since it started about a month ago. They hoped to one day find the cash.

“It made me feel all happy. I can’t wait to tell my girlfriend,” he said.

We timed it out, Montano got to the site within 10 minutes of the drop going live on social media. The account creator said it usually takes someone about 10 to 15 minutes to find the cash.

The creator of “Get the Cash ABQ” did something like this in his hometown of Atlanta. When he moved to Albuquerque, he wanted to bring it here to get people outside and earn some cash.

“It’s pretty random, scattered around Albuquerque trying to hit all different corners of the city. And just mainly public areas that are relatively safe. But also discrete, that people may not recognize,” he said. “I’ll either put the cash under a rock or I’ll tape it somewhere private, then show a video clue of where the area might be. Then, I will post a video of it to Instagram and TikTok then challenge people from there. Whoever gets there first will get the cash.”

The cash drop is really about getting people to explore their city, he adds. The money is just an extra incentive.

“This really took off. I hope it provides some entertainment for a lot of people, gets them out of the house, gives them something to do and really challenges to see how well they know their city,” he said.

Since his first run of cash drops, local and nationwide sponsors have joined in on the fun.

Again, you have to be quick. When we were there, we saw a lot of people walking away without the cash.

As for Montano, who won, though…

“I’m going to get some gas. I don’t know. Maybe treat my girlfriend to lunch,” he said.

The creator says he has three to four drops per week. He hopes to keep it going as long as sponsors and participants keep up the support.