diff --git a/app/jobs/scheduled/purge_inactive.rb b/app/jobs/scheduled/purge_unactivated.rb
similarity index 70%
rename from app/jobs/scheduled/purge_inactive.rb
rename to app/jobs/scheduled/purge_unactivated.rb
index 21417bef216..992b1bddc88 100644
--- a/app/jobs/scheduled/purge_inactive.rb
+++ b/app/jobs/scheduled/purge_unactivated.rb
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 module Jobs
-  class PurgeInactive < Jobs::Scheduled
+  class PurgeUnactived < Jobs::Scheduled
     every 1.day
 
     def execute(args)
diff --git a/app/models/user.rb b/app/models/user.rb
index e17796c45b5..765050e92f9 100644
--- a/app/models/user.rb
+++ b/app/models/user.rb
@@ -1198,22 +1198,22 @@ class User < ActiveRecord::Base
     end
   end
 
-  # Delete unactivated accounts (without verified email) that are over a week old
   def self.purge_unactivated
     return [] if SiteSetting.purge_unactivated_users_grace_period_days <= 0
 
-    to_destroy = User.where(active: false)
-      .joins('INNER JOIN user_stats AS us ON us.user_id = users.id')
-      .where("created_at < ?", SiteSetting.purge_unactivated_users_grace_period_days.days.ago)
-      .where('NOT admin AND NOT moderator')
-      .limit(200)
-
     destroyer = UserDestroyer.new(Discourse.system_user)
-    to_destroy.each do |u|
+
+    User
+      .where(active: false)
+      .where("created_at < ?", SiteSetting.purge_unactivated_users_grace_period_days.days.ago)
+      .where("NOT admin AND NOT moderator")
+      .where("NOT EXISTS (SELECT 1 FROM topic_allowed_users WHERE user_id = users.id LIMIT 1)")
+      .limit(200)
+      .find_each do |user|
       begin
-        destroyer.destroy(u, context: I18n.t(:purge_reason))
+        destroyer.destroy(user, context: I18n.t(:purge_reason))
       rescue Discourse::InvalidAccess, UserDestroyer::PostsExistError
-        # if for some reason the user can't be deleted, continue on to the next one
+        # keep going
       end
     end
   end
diff --git a/spec/models/user_spec.rb b/spec/models/user_spec.rb
index f725472bc00..35983247a2c 100644
--- a/spec/models/user_spec.rb
+++ b/spec/models/user_spec.rb
@@ -1236,24 +1236,28 @@ describe User do
 
   describe "#purge_unactivated" do
     let!(:user) { Fabricate(:user) }
-    let!(:inactive) { Fabricate(:user, active: false) }
-    let!(:inactive_old) { Fabricate(:user, active: false, created_at: 1.month.ago) }
+    let!(:unactivated) { Fabricate(:user, active: false) }
+    let!(:unactivated_old) { Fabricate(:user, active: false, created_at: 1.month.ago) }
+    let!(:unactivated_old_with_pm) { Fabricate(:user, active: false, created_at: 2.months.ago) }
+
+    before do
+      PostCreator.new(Discourse.system_user,
+        title: "Welcome to our Discourse",
+        raw: "This is a welcome message",
+        archetype: Archetype.private_message,
+        target_usernames: [unactivated_old_with_pm.username],
+      ).create
+    end
 
     it 'should only remove old, unactivated users' do
       User.purge_unactivated
-      all_users = User.all
-      expect(all_users.include?(user)).to eq(true)
-      expect(all_users.include?(inactive)).to eq(true)
-      expect(all_users.include?(inactive_old)).to eq(false)
+      expect(User.real.all).to match_array([user, unactivated, unactivated_old_with_pm])
     end
 
     it "does nothing if purge_unactivated_users_grace_period_days is 0" do
       SiteSetting.purge_unactivated_users_grace_period_days = 0
       User.purge_unactivated
-      all_users = User.all
-      expect(all_users.include?(user)).to eq(true)
-      expect(all_users.include?(inactive)).to eq(true)
-      expect(all_users.include?(inactive_old)).to eq(true)
+      expect(User.real.all).to match_array([user, unactivated, unactivated_old, unactivated_old_with_pm])
     end
   end