Fact vs. Fiction: Did a Minneapolis Daycare List the Governor’s Office Phone Number on Google as Evidence of Fraud?

Misleading Fact Check.


Claim by Nick Shirley and spread via Social Media:

Viral social media posts and videos claim that Sweet Angel Child Care in Minneapolis was engaged in fraud because its Google listing allegedly showed a phone number that dialed directly to Minnesota Governor Tim Walz’s office. Commentators pointed to the number (651) 201-3400, arguing it proved the daycare was fake or part of a larger fraud scheme.

Explanation:

The claim is misleading and strips away critical context.

A screenshot shows that Google Maps briefly displayed (651) 201-3400 for Sweet Angel Child Care. That number is indeed the Governor’s Office, but it is also the state contact number displayed on Minnesota’s official DHS licensing record for the facility. Sweet Angel Child Care is licensed under License #1104314, and its licensing page on the Minnesota Department of Human Services website lists that state office number as the licensing authority’s contact, not the daycare’s business phone.

Google Business Profiles frequently scrape and merge data automatically from government databases. In this case, Google appears to have misattributed the licensing authority’s phone number as the daycare’s contact number. This type of error is well-documented with licensed businesses such as child care centers, medical clinics, and contractors.

Independent third-party databases list Sweet Angel Child Care’s actual phone number as (612) 721-1133, not the governor’s office.

There is no evidence the daycare entered the governor’s phone number itself, nor that it attempted to mislead anyone. Google has since removed the phone number entirely from the listing, a move that often follows reports or corrections.

State officials have addressed broader fraud allegations tied to this video. According to KARE 11, Minnesota regulators confirmed Sweet Angel Child Care holds an active license, has been inspected, and no findings of fraud have been made.

Conclusion:

Fact or Fiction? Fiction (Misleading). While Google displayed the governor’s office phone number, the evidence shows this was the result of automated data scraping from a state licensing page, not fraud by the daycare. The phone number belongs to the licensing authority. Sweet Angel Child Care is a licensed and operating facility, and no investigation has found the business to be fraudulent.

Read More


Do you appreciate our work? Please consider one of the following ways to sustain us.

MBFC Ad-Free 

or

MBFC Donation


 

Found this insightful? Please consider sharing on your Social Media:

Subscribe With Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to MBFC and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 21.7K other subscribers



Subscribe
Notify of
guest

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

0 Comments
Oldest
Newest Most Voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments