diff --git a/modules/security/src/main/Reopen.scala b/modules/security/src/main/Reopen.scala
index 4dda1ea100..fbfd89f43a 100644
--- a/modules/security/src/main/Reopen.scala
+++ b/modules/security/src/main/Reopen.scala
@@ -28,9 +28,9 @@ final class Reopen(
         fuccess(Left("emailUsed" -> "This email address is already in use by an active account."))
       case _ =>
         val userId = User normalize username
-        userRepo.byId(userId) flatMap {
+        userRepo.byIdNotErased(userId) flatMap {
           case None =>
-            fuccess(Left("noUser" -> "No account has ever been created with this username."))
+            fuccess(Left("noUser" -> "No account found with this username."))
           case Some(user) if user.enabled =>
             fuccess(Left("alreadyActive" -> "This account is already active."))
           case Some(user) =>
diff --git a/modules/user/src/main/UserRepo.scala b/modules/user/src/main/UserRepo.scala
index 645c6131e9..35410a43ca 100644
--- a/modules/user/src/main/UserRepo.scala
+++ b/modules/user/src/main/UserRepo.scala
@@ -604,6 +604,8 @@ final class UserRepo(val coll: Coll)(implicit ec: scala.concurrent.ExecutionCont
       coll.exists($id(user.id) ++ $doc("erasedAt" $exists true))
     } map User.Erased.apply
 
+  def byIdNotErased(id: ID): Fu[Option[User]] = coll.one[User]($id(id) ++ $doc("erasedAt" $exists false))
+
   def filterClosedOrInactiveIds(since: DateTime)(ids: Iterable[ID]): Fu[List[ID]] =
     coll.distinctEasy[ID, List](
       F.id,