diff --git a/app/Support/Search/OperatorQuerySearch.php b/app/Support/Search/OperatorQuerySearch.php
index aef75bb722..ec77c69dc5 100644
--- a/app/Support/Search/OperatorQuerySearch.php
+++ b/app/Support/Search/OperatorQuerySearch.php
@@ -1949,12 +1949,17 @@ class OperatorQuerySearch implements SearchInterface
 
         // get accounts:
         $accounts        = $this->accountRepository->searchAccount($value, $searchTypes, 1337);
-        if (0 === $accounts->count()) {
+        if (0 === $accounts->count() && false === $prohibited) {
             app('log')->debug('Found zero accounts, search for non existing account, NO results will be returned.');
             $this->collector->findNothing();
 
             return;
         }
+        if (0 === $accounts->count() && true === $prohibited) {
+            app('log')->debug('Found zero accounts, but the search is negated, so effectively we ignore the search parameter.');
+
+            return;
+        }
         app('log')->debug(sprintf('Found %d accounts, will filter.', $accounts->count()));
         $filtered        = $accounts->filter(
             static function (Account $account) use ($value, $stringMethod) {