FAQ

Updated 03.20.2025

What is Veil?

Veil is a real world treasure hunt. Treasures are placed on public land. Players can sign up to play for free or can pay to receive daily clues. A percentage of that paid fee (typically half) goes to the finder as a reward for finding the treasure. Veil hunts are a short duration (typically between 7 and 22 days). This duration is guaranteed via a shrinking circle that encompasses the “treasure zone”. Each day the circle gets smaller until it’s directly over the treasure. Veil also features a variety of clue types and real-time trail cam imagery so that everyone can see the treasure is still there waiting to be found. Once the treasure is found, the hunt is over. But don’t worry–there are multiple Veil hunts going on around the country at all times and once your hunt ends a new one will be on its way to your area soon.

How much is the treasure worth?

Treasures are assigned a value at the start of the hunt (typically an amount of money or a desirable object, like gold, jewels, tickets to an event, a product, artwork, or an artifact). Separately from the treasure, most hunts include a financial reward that will grow throughout the hunt.

Where are the treasures hidden?

For public hunts, treasures are hidden on public land (typically national, state, county and city parks) in locations that are safe to hike and access. Treasures will never be placed in an active hunting area or require a high degree of skill to reach. For private hunts, the hunt location and rules of participation will be clearly noted and will identify the owner of the property that is included in the hunt.

What do I do if I find the treasure?

A card is placed directly beneath the treasure with instructions on what to do. To summarize, if you find the treasure, you MUST follow these steps:

1. There is a code written on the bottom of the treasure. DO NOT SHARE THIS CODE WITH ANYONE until you receive your prize from Veil. You MUST contact Veil at info@findveil.com within 30 days of finding the treasure. For your benefit, we recommend emailing us immediately (within minutes, if possible) with your name, contact information, and the code from the treasure to establish your first finder status. We will then schedule a follow-up to formalize. Take a video of yourself holding the treasure at the treasure site. In that video, you must read off the code and state your name, address, date and the location of your find. Send a link to view this video to info@findveil.com. We prefer a private youtube link, but as long as you send it in a format we can view the format is up to you. This video must be set to private.
2. A trail cam is mounted nearby. A trash bag is located beneath it. A carrying bag is inside the trash bag. Remove the carrying bag and place the treasure, solar light and trash bag inside.
3. Undo the trail cam strap and carefully take down the trail cam. Flip the switch on the back of the cam to turn it off (the switch is circled in red). Place it in the carrying bag.
4. The treasure and all equipment should now be in the bag. Leave the treasure site in a natural state and do not tell anyone what you’ve found until you return home.
5. Once you contact us, we will schedule a video call to confirm your identity and provide pre-paid shipping to return the trail cam, mount, light and bag. We will also provide a tax form and begin to process payment. Payment is issued between 30 and 60 days of finding the treasure.

Why is the treasure fake?

We use a proxy treasure as a stand-in for real money, gold, gems and artifacts for a few reasons. First and foremost, this is a safety precaution. A proxy treasure of no material value ensures treasure is not worth stealing. In the event someone approaches the site while you are still there, you will have been seen on the trail cam and will have sent your identification video to info@findveil.com. From that point on, we’ll know who you are and how to contact you. Additionally, the proxy treasure allows Veil and the finder to meet to review appropriate paperwork and tax documentation.

Is it dangerous to pursue a valuable treasure in a desolate location?

The treasure itself has no material value. Veil identifies winners based on a code inscribed on a red tab on the back of the treasure and verifies identity using the video taken by the finder at the treasure site and the likeness of the finder shown on the trail cam. Upon finding the treasure, we recommend you record a video of yourself holding the treasure at the site where it is found and immediately send a link to view the video to info@findveil.com. From there, a card beneath the treasure will direct you to remove the trail cam, place it and the treasure in an unmarked bag provided by Veil, and not speak to anyone about the treasure until you return to the safety of your car or home.

Who are you?

We are Jeff and Paul–two brothers from New Jersey who are lifelong fans of treasure hunts and have enjoyed the thrill of a few well known hunts from afar over the years. Occasionally we have shared that joy with our children by staging hunts around the yard at our parents’ house and working tales of treasure hunts into many a bedtime story.

Why did you start Veil?

In recent years, we were avid participants of a few hunts that, while exciting at times, ultimately left us disappointed. We felt we could do it better. With Veil, we see an exciting opportunity to make the thrill of treasure hunts more accessible, to broaden appeal by offering a variety of clues and to foster adventure and friendship in others in ways other hunts have for us.

Where will you conduct hunts?

All over the United States. We will be trialing new hunts in new areas and repeat hunts in areas that have seen hunts before. If you’ve tried one of our hunts and liked it, we definitely want to hold another hunt near you soon after your current hunt ends.

How can we trust you to conduct honest and fair hunts?

We don’t love the limelight. We debated not broadcasting our names on the site for some time, but ultimately we know that the best way to build trust is for people to know that we’re real people with real jobs, real families and real lives. We take pride in what we’ve started with Veil, and we know the only way to do this is with honor. We receive suggestions for clues, themes and locations all the time, but we do not discuss active or upcoming hunts with anyone. The only two people who know the location of the treasure–and the clues–are Jeff and Paul.

Why isn’t my state listed at signup?

Some states do not allow residents to participate in games of skill. If your state does not permit residents to operate in games of skill, you are not eligible to sign up or receive monetary value for the treasure or reward. By signing up, you acknowledge you reside in a state that permits participation in games of skill.

Do you offer any accessible hunts for those with mobility challenges?

While most of our treasures are hidden outdoors in the wilderness, we feel strongly that the thrill of treasure hunting should be accessible to all. We are exploring some “In Plain Sight” hunts that would involve hiding an unassuming treasure in plain sight–still in city, county, state, and national parks–but where accessible by all; including those who use a walking aid or wheelchair.

Why is there no reward in addition to the treasure value in some states?

Some states require a fixed prize for games of skill, so the growing reward in some Veil hunts is forbidden.

When do new hunts become available?

At the start, our goal is to run a few hunts at a time, continuously. Depending on when treasures are found, there may be a few days between when some hunts end and others begin, but in the days leading up to a new hunt we will list it on the findveil.com homepage as “Coming Soon” for a few days leading up to launch and will show the treasure and starting circle.

Treasure hunt? What if I don’t like maps?

We know that everyone has unique interests and abilities, so each hunt will feature a variety of clue types. We have about 40 different clue types at the moment, and most hunts will feature 2 or 3 types of clues. Some clues feature maps, others feature riddles, puzzles, codebreaking, historical context, pop culture, images, plants and animals, geology, geography, the sky–the list goes on. Each type of clue is independent from the others, so if a hunt features map clues, riddles, and images, you could find the treasure based on just one of those clue types alone (though the more, the better of course).

Are the clues worth it?

It is certainly possible to find the treasure without the clues, but clues are designed to give savvy hunters enough information to craft an educated search area halfway through the hunt. Also clues will give enough information to hone in on the treasure location at least one day prior to the public.

What happens if I share clues online?

Sharing clues publicly is strictly prohibited. If you are found to have done this, your account will be terminated and you will not be refunded.

What happens if I see clues posted online?

You should not trust clues that you see posted online. Other players have an incentive to mislead you, so it is very likely that altered clues will appear online that lead you to a different location.

What if I find the treasure, but don’t take a video at the treasure site?

Taking the video at the treasure site allows us to verify that you are the winner and give you your prize quicker. If you do not take a video at the treasure site, we will need to meet with you via a video call and you must show us the treasure and code to confirm you are in its possession. It is critical that you do not give anyone the treasure or share the code on the bottom of the treasure with anyone until you receive your reward so that we can be sure that you are the sole winner. After 30 days, if no one else has come forward to claim the treasure as theirs, payment will begin to process payment and transfer the prize to you. In the event that someone else does come forward to claim the treasure, that means you either stole it (shame on you, you are disqualified) or gave someone the treasure, showed them the code and they betrayed you (we told you not to do this!). We will then need to authenticate the true winner via the trail cam imagery, metadata from any photo/video taken at the site (if available), and other means as necessary.

Do I need to pay taxes on my winnings?

Yes. Once you discover the treasure, we’ll set up a video call to confirm your identity, the treasure, and give you a 1099 MISC tax form.

How do you acquire drone imagery?

If we use drone imagery, we will have obtained a commercial drone pilot’s license and taken the imagery ourselves in accordance with all FAA regulations.

What if I want to sponsor a hunt?

You can view our sponsorship page here.

What if I want to host a private hunt?

Please refer to the Private Hunts portion of our sponsorship page.

Can I have a refund?

Once you pay to join an active hunt, refunds are not allowed.

What if I join the hunt after the treasure is found?

The trail cam will note the exact time that the treasure is discovered. From that minute forward, anyone who joins will be refunded.

What if the person who discovers the treasure does not pick it up right away, for honest or nefarious reasons?

Once a person is identified on the trail cam as having seen the treasure, we will stop accepting new signups, so there is no incentive to “wait” for the reward to grow.

I’m hunting for the treasure with friends. Can we split the prize?

Prize payment will be paid to 1 person—the first person to physically touch the treasure. That person must be signed up with Veil to receive the prize. After that, what you do with your prize is up to you.

What are the different hunt and clue types?

All hunts will feature a closing circle and trail cam image. Most hunts will also feature other types of clues.

Do I need to pay to be eligible to win the prize?

No, you do not need to pay to participate, however to be eligible to win you must sign up for a free account and have read and accepted the terms and conditions and risk waiver.

Why is it called Veil?

Typically we know of veils as coverings to hide the face of a person–typically a bride. You know who that person is, and often can see through the veil. So to us, a veil may hide something, but moreso it tells us that something is worth hiding.

How can I contact you?

If you find the treasure, contact us at info@findveil.com. For other questions or suggestions, the best way to contact us is on social media–primarily instagram, reddit and facebook.