Journalists encountered a bizarre and confusing situation when calling the White House switchboard, as the caller ID on their mobile screens displayed the name “Epstein Island.”
The incident occurred on Wednesday when reporters from The Washington Post contacted the White House.
The calls were made in connection with an event hosted by First Lady Melania Trump titled “Fostering the Future Together,” which brought together spouses of world leaders. During the event, Melania Trump was seen walking alongside a humanoid robot named “Figure 03,” which greeted guests in 11 languages.
Reporters from the newspaper’s style section had called the White House to inquire about the brand of the First Lady’s outfit when the unusual caller ID appeared.
The issue seemed to affect only users of Google Pixel Android phones. On those devices, the caller ID displayed “Epstein Island,” while calls made from iPhones showed only the phone number without any name.
A spokesperson for Google, Matthew Flegal, explained that the problem was caused by a fake edit on Google Maps. The incorrect information was temporarily picked up by Google’s caller ID system.
Google has since fixed the issue and banned the user responsible for submitting the false information. The caller ID no longer displays any name when calling from Pixel devices.
A White House official, speaking on condition of anonymity, clarified that the issue was entirely external and unrelated to the White House’s internal systems.
The name “Epstein Island” refers to a private island owned by Jeffrey Epstein in the Caribbean, officially known as Little Saint James. The island has been widely associated with allegations of trafficking and abuse involving Epstein.
The incident has also renewed attention on longstanding criticism of Google Maps, where users have previously manipulated business names and contact details, including changing school names to meme-based titles or altering bank helpline numbers in scam attempts.
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