diff --git a/html/inc/boinc_db.inc b/html/inc/boinc_db.inc
index cb00a2547c..1e42eb1b67 100644
--- a/html/inc/boinc_db.inc
+++ b/html/inc/boinc_db.inc
@@ -663,6 +663,10 @@ class BoincCreditUser {
         $db = BoincDb::get();
         return $db->update_aux('credit_user', $clause);
     }
+    static function delete_user($user) {
+        $db = BoincDb::get();
+        $db->delete_aux('credit_user', "userid=$user->id");
+    }
 }
 
 class BoincCreditTeam {
diff --git a/html/inc/forum_db.inc b/html/inc/forum_db.inc
index 9bfe99b283..98bebb3dd4 100644
--- a/html/inc/forum_db.inc
+++ b/html/inc/forum_db.inc
@@ -270,6 +270,10 @@ class BoincFriend {
         $db = BoincDb::get();
         return $db->enum('friend', 'BoincFriend', $clause);
     }
+    static function delete_aux($clause) {
+        $db = BoincDb::get();
+        return $db->delete_aux('friend', $clause);
+    }
     static function delete($id1, $id2) {
         $db = BoincDb::get();
         $db->delete_aux('friend', "user_src=$id1 and user_dest=$id2");
diff --git a/html/inc/user.inc b/html/inc/user.inc
index 1b3665546c..fce92459e0 100644
--- a/html/inc/user.inc
+++ b/html/inc/user.inc
@@ -363,6 +363,7 @@ function show_community_private($user) {
     if ($n) {
         foreach($friends as $friend) {
             $fuser = BoincUser::lookup_id($friend->user_dest);
+            if (!$fuser) continue;
             $x .= friend_links($fuser);
         }
         row2(tra("Friends")." ($n)", $x);
@@ -415,6 +416,7 @@ function get_community_links_object($user){
     $friends = BoincFriend::enum("user_src=$user->id and reciprocated=1");
     foreach($friends as $friend) {
         $fuser = BoincUser::lookup_id($friend->user_dest);
+        if (!$fuser) continue;
         $cache_object->friends[] = $fuser;
     }
     return $cache_object;
@@ -552,6 +554,29 @@ function make_user(
     }
 }
 
+// delete a user and all associated records except
+// result
+// host
+// batch
+// team
+// user_submit
+// user_submit_app
+// credited_job
+// donation_paypal
+// sent_email
+//
+function delete_user($user) {
+    delete_profile($user);
+    forum_delete_user($user);
+        // deletes post, thread, subscription, forum_preferences, forum_logging
+    BoincPrivateMessage::delete_aux("userid=$user->id or senderid=$user->id");
+    BoincNotify::delete_aux("userid=$user->id");
+    BoincCreditUser::delete_user($user);
+    BoincBadgeUser::delete("user_id=$user->id");
+    BoincFriend::delete_aux("user_src=$user->id or user_dest=$user->id");
+    $user->delete();
+}
+
 $cvs_version_tracker[]="\$Id$";  //Generated automatically - do not edit
 
 ?>
diff --git a/html/ops/delete_spammers.php b/html/ops/delete_spammers.php
index a92692fe4a..be8f7c9208 100755
--- a/html/ops/delete_spammers.php
+++ b/html/ops/delete_spammers.php
@@ -68,19 +68,19 @@ $test = false;
 
 // delete a spammer account, and everything associated with it
 //
-function delete_user($user) {
+function do_delete_user($user) {
     global $test;
     $age = (time() - $user->create_time) / 86400;
-    echo "----------------\ndeleting user $user->id email $user->email_addr name $user->name age $age days\n";
+    echo "deleting user\n";
+    echo "   ID: $user->id\n";
+    echo "   email: $user->email_addr\n";
+    echo "   name: $user->name\n";
+    echo "   age:$age days\n";
     if ($test) {
+        echo "   (test mode - nothing deleted)\n";
         return;
     }
-    delete_profile($user);
-    forum_delete_user($user);
-    BoincPrivateMessage::delete_aux("userid=$user->id or senderid=$user->id");
-    BoincNotify::delete_aux("userid=$user->id");
-    $q = "delete from user where id=$user->id";
-    _mysql_query($q);
+    delete_user($user);
 }
 
 function delete_list($fname) {
@@ -91,7 +91,7 @@ function delete_list($fname) {
         if (!is_numeric($s)) die("bad ID $s\n");
         $user = BoincUser::lookup_id((int)$s);
         if ($user) {
-            delete_user($user);
+            do_delete_user($user);
         } else {
             echo "no user ID $s\n";
         }
@@ -123,7 +123,7 @@ function delete_forums() {
         }
         $n = BoincHost::count("userid=$p->userid");
         if ($n) continue;
-        delete_user($user);
+        do_delete_user($user);
     }
 }
 
@@ -147,7 +147,7 @@ function delete_profiles() {
             $n = BoincPost::count("user=$p->userid");
             if ($n) continue;
 
-            delete_user($user);
+            do_delete_user($user);
             if ($test) {
                 echo "\n$p->userid\n$p->response1\n$p->response2\n";
             }
@@ -162,7 +162,7 @@ function delete_banished() {
         $user = BoincUser::lookup_id($fp->userid);
         if (!$user) continue;
         if ($user->create_time < time() - $days*86400) continue;
-        delete_user($user);
+        do_delete_user($user);
     }
 }
 
@@ -209,11 +209,14 @@ for ($i=1; $i<$argc; $i++) {
         if (!is_numeric($id1) || !is_numeric($id2)) {
             die ("bad args\n");
         }
+        if ($id2 < $id1) {
+            die("bad args\n");
+        }
         for ($i=$id1; $i <= $id2; $i++) {
             $user = BoincUser::lookup_id($i);
             if ($user) {
                 echo "deleting user $i\n";
-                delete_user($user);
+                do_delete_user($user);
             }
         }
     } else if ($argv[$i] == "--banished") {