diff --git a/src/Simplex/Chat/Store/Direct.hs b/src/Simplex/Chat/Store/Direct.hs
index 79cb352299..2eeb81c2d0 100644
--- a/src/Simplex/Chat/Store/Direct.hs
+++ b/src/Simplex/Chat/Store/Direct.hs
@@ -232,8 +232,7 @@ deleteContactConnectionsAndFiles db userId Contact {contactId} = do
 
 deleteContact :: DB.Connection -> User -> Contact -> ExceptT StoreError IO ()
 deleteContact db user@User {userId} ct@Contact {contactId, localDisplayName, activeConn} = do
-  whenM (liftIO $ checkContactIsUser db user ct) $ throwError (SEProhibitedDeleteUserContact contactId)
-  whenM (liftIO $ checkLDNIsUser db user localDisplayName) $ throwError (SEProhibitedDeleteUserName localDisplayName)
+  whenM (liftIO $ checkContactIsUser db user ct) $ throwError (SEProhibitedDeleteUser userId)
   liftIO $ do
     DB.execute db "DELETE FROM chat_items WHERE user_id = ? AND contact_id = ?" (userId, contactId)
     ctMember :: (Maybe ContactId) <- maybeFirstRow fromOnly $ DB.query db "SELECT contact_id FROM group_members WHERE user_id = ? AND contact_id = ? LIMIT 1" (userId, contactId)
@@ -252,8 +251,7 @@ deleteContact db user@User {userId} ct@Contact {contactId, localDisplayName, act
 -- should only be used if contact is not member of any groups
 deleteContactWithoutGroups :: DB.Connection -> User -> Contact -> ExceptT StoreError IO ()
 deleteContactWithoutGroups db user@User {userId} ct@Contact {contactId, localDisplayName, activeConn} = do
-  whenM (liftIO $ checkContactIsUser db user ct) $ throwError (SEProhibitedDeleteUserContact contactId)
-  whenM (liftIO $ checkLDNIsUser db user localDisplayName) $ throwError (SEProhibitedDeleteUserName localDisplayName)
+  whenM (liftIO $ checkContactIsUser db user ct) $ throwError (SEProhibitedDeleteUser userId)
   liftIO $ do
     DB.execute db "DELETE FROM chat_items WHERE user_id = ? AND contact_id = ?" (userId, contactId)
     deleteContactProfile_ db userId contactId
@@ -264,9 +262,8 @@ deleteContactWithoutGroups db user@User {userId} ct@Contact {contactId, localDis
         deleteUnusedIncognitoProfileById_ db user profileId
 
 setContactDeleted :: DB.Connection -> User -> Contact -> ExceptT StoreError IO ()
-setContactDeleted db user@User {userId} ct@Contact {contactId, localDisplayName} = do
-  whenM (liftIO $ checkContactIsUser db user ct) $ throwError (SEProhibitedDeleteUserContact contactId)
-  whenM (liftIO $ checkLDNIsUser db user localDisplayName) $ throwError (SEProhibitedDeleteUserName localDisplayName)
+setContactDeleted db user@User {userId} ct@Contact {contactId} = do
+  whenM (liftIO $ checkContactIsUser db user ct) $ throwError (SEProhibitedDeleteUser userId)
   liftIO $ do
     currentTs <- getCurrentTime
     DB.execute db "UPDATE contacts SET deleted = 1, updated_at = ? WHERE user_id = ? AND contact_id = ?" (currentTs, userId, contactId)
diff --git a/src/Simplex/Chat/Store/Groups.hs b/src/Simplex/Chat/Store/Groups.hs
index 1fdd9b0808..cc476544c7 100644
--- a/src/Simplex/Chat/Store/Groups.hs
+++ b/src/Simplex/Chat/Store/Groups.hs
@@ -142,7 +142,7 @@ import Simplex.Messaging.Agent.Store.SQLite (firstRow, maybeFirstRow)
 import qualified Simplex.Messaging.Agent.Store.SQLite.DB as DB
 import qualified Simplex.Messaging.Crypto as C
 import Simplex.Messaging.Protocol (SubscriptionMode (..))
-import Simplex.Messaging.Util (eitherToMaybe, unlessM, whenM, ($>>=), (<$$>))
+import Simplex.Messaging.Util (eitherToMaybe, whenM, ($>>=), (<$$>))
 import Simplex.Messaging.Version
 import UnliftIO.STM
 
@@ -587,8 +587,7 @@ deleteGroup :: DB.Connection -> User -> GroupInfo -> IO ()
 deleteGroup db user@User {userId} g@GroupInfo {groupId, localDisplayName} = do
   deleteGroupProfile_ db userId groupId
   DB.execute db "DELETE FROM groups WHERE user_id = ? AND group_id = ?" (userId, groupId)
-  unlessM (checkLDNIsUser db user localDisplayName) $
-    DB.execute db "DELETE FROM display_names WHERE user_id = ? AND local_display_name = ?" (userId, localDisplayName)
+  deleteLDNCheckNotUser db user localDisplayName
   forM_ (incognitoMembershipProfile g) $ deleteUnusedIncognitoProfileById_ db user . localProfileId
 
 deleteGroupProfile_ :: DB.Connection -> UserId -> GroupId -> IO ()
@@ -1053,8 +1052,7 @@ cleanupMemberProfileAndName_ db user@User {userId} GroupMember {groupMemberId, m
     sameProfileMember :: (Maybe GroupMemberId) <- maybeFirstRow fromOnly $ DB.query db "SELECT group_member_id FROM group_members WHERE user_id = ? AND contact_profile_id = ? AND group_member_id != ? LIMIT 1" (userId, memberContactProfileId, groupMemberId)
     when (isNothing sameProfileMember) $ do
       DB.execute db "DELETE FROM contact_profiles WHERE user_id = ? AND contact_profile_id = ?" (userId, memberContactProfileId)
-      unlessM (checkLDNIsUser db user localDisplayName) $
-        DB.execute db "DELETE FROM display_names WHERE user_id = ? AND local_display_name = ?" (userId, localDisplayName)
+      deleteLDNCheckNotUser db user localDisplayName
 
 deleteGroupMemberConnection :: DB.Connection -> User -> GroupMember -> IO ()
 deleteGroupMemberConnection db User {userId} GroupMember {groupMemberId} =
@@ -1364,8 +1362,7 @@ updateGroupProfile db user@User {userId} g@GroupInfo {groupId, localDisplayName,
         db
         "UPDATE groups SET local_display_name = ?, updated_at = ? WHERE user_id = ? AND group_id = ?"
         (ldn, currentTs, userId, groupId)
-      unlessM (checkLDNIsUser db user localDisplayName) $
-        DB.execute db "DELETE FROM display_names WHERE local_display_name = ? AND user_id = ?" (localDisplayName, userId)
+      deleteLDNCheckNotUser db user localDisplayName
 
 getGroupInfo :: DB.Connection -> VersionRange -> User -> Int64 -> ExceptT StoreError IO GroupInfo
 getGroupInfo db vr User {userId, userContactId} groupId =
@@ -1619,10 +1616,8 @@ mergeContactRecords db user@User {userId} to@Contact {localDisplayName = keepLDN
   let (toCt, fromCt) = toFromContacts to from
       Contact {contactId = toContactId, localDisplayName = toLDN} = toCt
       Contact {contactId = fromContactId, localDisplayName = fromLDN} = fromCt
-  whenM (liftIO $ checkContactIsUser db user toCt) $ throwError (SEProhibitedDeleteUserContact toContactId)
-  whenM (liftIO $ checkLDNIsUser db user toLDN) $ throwError (SEProhibitedDeleteUserName toLDN)
-  whenM (liftIO $ checkContactIsUser db user fromCt) $ throwError (SEProhibitedDeleteUserContact fromContactId)
-  whenM (liftIO $ checkLDNIsUser db user fromLDN) $ throwError (SEProhibitedDeleteUserName fromLDN)
+  whenM (liftIO $ checkContactIsUser db user toCt) $ throwError (SEProhibitedDeleteUser userId)
+  whenM (liftIO $ checkContactIsUser db user fromCt) $ throwError (SEProhibitedDeleteUser userId)
   liftIO $ do
     currentTs <- getCurrentTime
     -- next query fixes incorrect unused contacts deletion
@@ -2038,8 +2033,7 @@ updateMemberProfile db user@User {userId} m p'
           db
           "UPDATE group_members SET local_display_name = ?, updated_at = ? WHERE user_id = ? AND group_member_id = ?"
           (ldn, currentTs, userId, groupMemberId)
-        unlessM (checkLDNIsUser db user localDisplayName) $
-          DB.execute db "DELETE FROM display_names WHERE local_display_name = ? AND user_id = ?" (localDisplayName, userId)
+        deleteLDNCheckNotUser db user localDisplayName
         pure $ Right m {localDisplayName = ldn, memberProfile = profile}
   where
     GroupMember {groupMemberId, localDisplayName, memberProfile = LocalProfile {profileId, displayName, localAlias}} = m
diff --git a/src/Simplex/Chat/Store/Shared.hs b/src/Simplex/Chat/Store/Shared.hs
index 798720d551..eacb269082 100644
--- a/src/Simplex/Chat/Store/Shared.hs
+++ b/src/Simplex/Chat/Store/Shared.hs
@@ -110,8 +110,7 @@ data StoreError
   | SERemoteHostDuplicateCA
   | SERemoteCtrlNotFound {remoteCtrlId :: RemoteCtrlId}
   | SERemoteCtrlDuplicateCA
-  | SEProhibitedDeleteUserContact {contactId :: ContactId}
-  | SEProhibitedDeleteUserName {localDisplayName :: ContactName}
+  | SEProhibitedDeleteUser {userId :: UserId}
   deriving (Show, Exception)
 
 $(J.deriveJSON (sumTypeJSON $ dropPrefix "SE") ''StoreError)
@@ -405,15 +404,27 @@ encodedRandomBytes :: TVar ChaChaDRG -> Int -> IO ByteString
 encodedRandomBytes gVar n = atomically $ B64.encode <$> C.randomBytes n gVar
 
 checkContactIsUser :: DB.Connection -> User -> Contact -> IO Bool
-checkContactIsUser db User {userContactId} Contact {contactId} = do
-  isUser_ <-
-    maybeFirstRow fromOnly $
-      DB.query db "SELECT is_user FROM contacts WHERE contact_id = ?" (Only contactId)
-  pure $ fromMaybe False isUser_ || contactId == userContactId
-
-checkLDNIsUser :: DB.Connection -> User -> ContactName -> IO Bool
-checkLDNIsUser db User {userId} ldn = do
+checkContactIsUser db User {userId} Contact {contactId, localDisplayName} = do
   r :: (Maybe Int64) <-
     maybeFirstRow fromOnly $
-      DB.query db "SELECT 1 FROM users WHERE user_id = ? AND local_display_name = ? LIMIT 1" (userId, ldn)
+      DB.query
+        db
+        [sql|
+          SELECT 1 FROM users
+          WHERE (user_id = ? AND local_display_name = ?)
+             OR (contact_id = ?)
+          LIMIT 1
+        |]
+        (userId, localDisplayName, contactId)
   pure $ isJust r
+
+deleteLDNCheckNotUser :: DB.Connection -> User -> ContactName -> IO ()
+deleteLDNCheckNotUser db User {userId} localDisplayName = do
+  DB.execute
+    db
+    [sql|
+      DELETE FROM display_names
+      WHERE user_id = ? AND local_display_name = ?
+        AND local_display_name NOT IN (SELECT local_display_name FROM users WHERE user_id = ?)
+    |]
+    (userId, localDisplayName)