diff --git a/routes/api/account/index.js b/routes/api/account/index.js
index b58fd2ce0..434edc58d 100644
--- a/routes/api/account/index.js
+++ b/routes/api/account/index.js
@@ -20,26 +20,29 @@ router.get('/', authorization.needed(), (req, res, next) => {
  * @param {Function} verifier the function used to verify the token, will throw on error
  * @param {Object} error the error object to send back in the event an error is found
  */
-const verifyTokenOnCheck = (verifier, error) => async (req, res, next) => {
-  const {token, check = false} = req.body;
-
-  if (!token) {
-    return next(error);
-  }
+const tokenCheck = (verifier, error) => async (req, res, next) => {
+  const {token = null, check = false} = req.body;
 
   if (check) {
+
+    // This request is checking to see if the token is valid.
     try {
+
+      // Verify the token.
       await verifier(token);
-
-      res.status(204).end();
-
-      // Don't continue to pass it onto the next middleware, as we've only been
-      // asked to verify the token.
-      return;
     } catch (err) {
+
+      // Log out the error, slurp it and send out the predefined error to the
+      // error handler.
       console.error(err);
       return next(error);
     }
+
+    res.status(204).end();
+
+    // Don't continue to pass it onto the next middleware, as we've only been
+    // asked to verify the token.
+    return;
   }
 
   next();
@@ -48,7 +51,7 @@ const verifyTokenOnCheck = (verifier, error) => async (req, res, next) => {
 // POST /email/confirm takes the password confirmation token available as a
 // payload parameter and if it verifies, it updates the confirmed_at date on the
 // local profile.
-router.post('/email/verify', verifyTokenOnCheck(UsersService.verifyEmailConfirmationToken, errors.ErrEmailVerificationToken), async (req, res, next) => {
+router.post('/email/verify', tokenCheck(UsersService.verifyEmailConfirmationToken, errors.ErrEmailVerificationToken), async (req, res, next) => {
   const {token} = req.body;
 
   try {
@@ -86,7 +89,7 @@ router.post('/password/reset', async (req, res, next) => {
   }
 });
 
-router.put('/password/reset', verifyTokenOnCheck(UsersService.verifyPasswordResetToken, errors.ErrPasswordResetToken), async (req, res, next) => {
+router.put('/password/reset', tokenCheck(UsersService.verifyPasswordResetToken, errors.ErrPasswordResetToken), async (req, res, next) => {
   const {token, password} = req.body;
 
   if (!password || password.length < 8) {
diff --git a/services/users.js b/services/users.js
index a82aee8c4..9159ef5a6 100644
--- a/services/users.js
+++ b/services/users.js
@@ -634,6 +634,10 @@ module.exports = class UsersService {
    * @param {String} token the JSON Web Token to verify
    */
   static async verifyPasswordResetToken(token) {
+    if (!token) {
+      throw new Error('cannot verify an empty token');
+    }
+
     const {userId, loc, version} = await UsersService.verifyToken(token, {
       subject: PASSWORD_RESET_JWT_SUBJECT
     });
@@ -777,6 +781,10 @@ module.exports = class UsersService {
    * @param {String} token the token to verify
    */
   static async verifyEmailConfirmationToken(token) {
+    if (!token) {
+      throw new Error('cannot verify an empty token');
+    }
+
     const decoded = await UsersService.verifyToken(token, {
       subject: EMAIL_CONFIRM_JWT_SUBJECT
     });