diff --git a/util/global_community_silence.php b/util/global_community_silence.php
index b25c2af223..d18efd345e 100755
--- a/util/global_community_silence.php
+++ b/util/global_community_silence.php
@@ -28,12 +28,14 @@ if ($argc!=2 || $argv[1]=="-h" || $argv[1]=="--help" || $argv[1]=="-?") {
 	echo "    profile_url ...... The URL of the profile you want to silence\r\n";
 	echo "\r\n";
 	echo "Example: Silence bob@example.com\r\n";
-	echo "$> ".$argv[0]." https://exaple.com/profiles/bob\r\n";
+	echo "$> ".$argv[0]." https://example.com/profiles/bob\r\n";
 	echo "\r\n";
 	exit(0);
 }
 
 use Friendica\Database\DBM;
+use Friendica\Network\Probe;
+
 require_once("boot.php");
 require_once('include/dba.php');
 require_once("include/text.php");
@@ -48,11 +50,16 @@ unset($db_host, $db_user, $db_pass, $db_data);
  * 2. check DB (contact) if there is a contact with uid=0 and that nurl, get the ID
  * 3. set the flag hidden=1 for the contact entry with the found ID
  **/
-
-$nurl = normalise_link($argv[1]);
-$r = dba::select("contact", array("id"), array("nurl" => $nurl, "uid" => 0), array("limit"=> 1));
+$net = Probe::uri($argv[1]);
+if (in_array($net['network'], array(NETWORK_PHANTOM, NETWORK_MAIL))) {
+	echo "This account seems not to exist.";
+	echo "\r\n";
+	exit(1);
+}
+$nurl = normalise_link($net['url']);
+$r = dba::select("contact", array("id"), array("nurl" => $nurl, "uid" => 0), array("limit" => 1));
 if (DBM::is_result($r)) {
-	dba::update("contact", array("hidden"=>1), array("id"=>$r["id"]));
+	dba::update("contact", array("hidden" => true), array("id" => $r["id"]));
 	echo "NOTICE: The account should be silenced from the global community page\r\n";
 } else {
 	echo "NOTICE: Could not find any entry for this URL (".$nurl.")\r\n";