diff --git a/src/user/create.js b/src/user/create.js
index c94003af0c..c4ba0ae51b 100644
--- a/src/user/create.js
+++ b/src/user/create.js
@@ -19,14 +19,14 @@ module.exports = function (User) {
 			data.email = String(data.email).trim();
 		}
 
-		try {
-			await lock(data.username, '[[error:username-taken]]');
-			if (data.email) {
-				await lock(data.email, '[[error:email-taken]]');
-			}
+		await User.isDataValid(data);
 
-			await User.isDataValid(data);
+		await lock(data.username, '[[error:username-taken]]');
+		if (data.email && data.email !== data.username) {
+			await lock(data.email, '[[error:email-taken]]');
+		}
 
+		try {
 			return await create(data);
 		} finally {
 			await db.deleteObjectFields('locks', [data.username, data.email]);