diff --git a/common/djangoapps/student/views/management.py b/common/djangoapps/student/views/management.py
index 3096af94d5..6f75e6de49 100644
--- a/common/djangoapps/student/views/management.py
+++ b/common/djangoapps/student/views/management.py
@@ -621,14 +621,6 @@ def validate_secondary_email(user, new_email):
     if new_email == user.email:
         raise ValueError(_('Cannot be same as your sign in email address.'))
 
-    # Make sure that secondary email address is not same as any of the primary emails currently in use or retired
-    if email_exists_or_retired(new_email):
-        raise ValueError(
-            _("It looks like {email} belongs to an existing account. Try again with a different email address.").format(
-                email=new_email
-            )
-        )
-
     message = get_secondary_email_validation_error(new_email)
     if message:
         raise ValueError(message)
diff --git a/openedx/core/djangoapps/user_api/accounts/api.py b/openedx/core/djangoapps/user_api/accounts/api.py
index 79f6c13b7b..f693c61682 100644
--- a/openedx/core/djangoapps/user_api/accounts/api.py
+++ b/openedx/core/djangoapps/user_api/accounts/api.py
@@ -218,13 +218,21 @@ def _validate_secondary_email(user, data, field_errors):
     if "secondary_email" not in data:
         return
 
+    secondary_email = data["secondary_email"]
+
     try:
-        student_views.validate_secondary_email(user, data["secondary_email"])
+        student_views.validate_secondary_email(user, secondary_email)
     except ValueError as err:
         field_errors["secondary_email"] = {
             "developer_message": u"Error thrown from validate_secondary_email: '{}'".format(text_type(err)),
             "user_message": text_type(err)
         }
+    else:
+        # Don't process with sending email to given new email, if it is already associated with
+        # an account. User must see same success message with no error.
+        # This is so that this endpoint cannot be used to determine if an email is valid or not.
+        if email_exists_or_retired(secondary_email):
+            del data["secondary_email"]
 
 
 def _validate_name_change(user_profile, data, field_errors):