A deceptive advertisement posted on Craigslist, which sought child actors for a Minnesota day care centre, has been wrongly presented on social media as proof of an alleged fraud scheme. This comes as federal investigators continue to examine claims of misconduct at several facilities run by Somali residents in the state.
The Viral Claim and Its Origins
The now-removed advert appeared in the general labour section of Craigslist for Hennepin County, Minnesota, on 1 January 2026. It claimed a day care centre in Minneapolis' Ventura Village neighbourhood needed to hire 20 child actors for three days. The children were supposedly required to pose as attendees during a state inspection, with an offered payment of $1,500 per day.
Screenshots of this listing quickly spread across platforms like X and TikTok, where users presented it as concrete evidence of fraud. One widely shared X post described it as a "BREAKING" discovery, while a TikTok video asserting the ad was "100% serious" garnered approximately 14,300 views.
Revealed as an Online Prank
In reality, the advertisement was not a genuine job listing. Joey LaFleur, co-host of the online prank show Goofcon1, confirmed to The Associated Press that the post was bait for their programme. "The show's called Goofcon1 and it is a funny show," LaFleur stated. "We do pranks and stuff like that."
He reported receiving a "ton of responses" and said the show planned to contact interested parties during a live broadcast on Saturday, 10 January 2026. LaFleur added that beyond comedy, the show aims to highlight predatory behaviour and criticise conservatives who neglect fact-checking.
Political and Investigative Context
The circulation of this false evidence occurs against a tense political backdrop. On Monday, 5 January 2026, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz ended his campaign for a third term. This decision coincided with sustained focus from President Donald Trump's administration on fraud investigations involving day care centres.
Also on that Monday, the administration announced plans to tighten regulations governing federal child care funds. The AP Fact Check team has verified that the Craigslist advert provides no proof of fraudulent activity in Minnesota's day care system.
