diff --git a/backend/src/services/auth/auth-signup-service.ts b/backend/src/services/auth/auth-signup-service.ts
index ae27b113da..0007f24475 100644
--- a/backend/src/services/auth/auth-signup-service.ts
+++ b/backend/src/services/auth/auth-signup-service.ts
@@ -178,6 +178,27 @@ export const authSignupServiceFactory = ({
 
     const hashedPassword = await crypto.hashing().createHash(password, appCfg.SALT_ROUNDS);
     const updateduser = await authDAL.transaction(async (tx) => {
+      const duplicateUsers = await userDAL.find(
+        {
+          email: user.email || sanitizedEmail,
+          isAccepted: false
+        },
+        { tx }
+      );
+      const duplicateUserIds = duplicateUsers
+        .filter((duplicateUser) => duplicateUser.id !== user.id)
+        .map((duplicateUser) => duplicateUser.id);
+      if (duplicateUserIds.length > 0) {
+        await userDAL.delete(
+          {
+            $in: {
+              id: duplicateUserIds
+            }
+          },
+          tx
+        );
+      }
+
       const us = await userDAL.updateById(user.id, { firstName, lastName, isAccepted: true }, tx);
       if (!us) throw new Error("User not found");
 
@@ -342,6 +363,27 @@ export const authSignupServiceFactory = ({
     const appCfg = getConfig();
     const hashedPassword = await crypto.hashing().createHash(password, appCfg.SALT_ROUNDS);
     const updateduser = await authDAL.transaction(async (tx) => {
+      const duplicateUsers = await userDAL.find(
+        {
+          email: user.email || sanitizedEmail,
+          isAccepted: false
+        },
+        { tx }
+      );
+      const duplicateUserIds = duplicateUsers
+        .filter((duplicateUser) => duplicateUser.id !== user.id)
+        .map((duplicateUser) => duplicateUser.id);
+      if (duplicateUserIds.length > 0) {
+        await userDAL.delete(
+          {
+            $in: {
+              id: duplicateUserIds
+            }
+          },
+          tx
+        );
+      }
+
       const us = await userDAL.updateById(user.id, { firstName, lastName, isAccepted: true }, tx);
       if (!us) throw new Error("User not found");
       const userEncKey = await userDAL.upsertUserEncryptionKey(
diff --git a/backend/src/services/user/user-dal.ts b/backend/src/services/user/user-dal.ts
index 41b615b5df..eecc256299 100644
--- a/backend/src/services/user/user-dal.ts
+++ b/backend/src/services/user/user-dal.ts
@@ -199,8 +199,6 @@ export const userDALFactory = (db: TDbClient) => {
       const doc = await db(TableName.Users)
         .where({ email })
         .leftJoin(TableName.Membership, `${TableName.Membership}.actorUserId`, `${TableName.Users}.id`)
-        .where(`${TableName.Membership}.scope`, AccessScope.Organization)
-        .whereNotNull(`${TableName.Membership}.actorUserId`)
         .leftJoin(TableName.Organization, `${TableName.Organization}.id`, `${TableName.Membership}.scopeOrgId`)
         .select(selectAllTableCols(TableName.Users))
         .select(