diff --git a/src/database/redis/hash.js b/src/database/redis/hash.js
index ddc21b893c..322440a656 100644
--- a/src/database/redis/hash.js
+++ b/src/database/redis/hash.js
@@ -88,6 +88,24 @@ module.exports = function(redisClient, module) {
 		});
 	};
 
+	module.isObjectFields = function(key, fields, callback) {
+		var multi = redisClient.multi();
+		for (var i=0; i<fields.length; ++i) {
+			multi.hexists(key, fields[i]);
+		}
+
+		multi.exec(function(err, results) {
+			if (err) {
+				return callback(err);
+			}
+
+			for (var i=0; i<results.length; ++i) {
+				results[i] = results[i] === 1;
+			}
+			callback(null, results);
+		});
+	};
+
 	module.deleteObjectField = function(key, field, callback) {
 		redisClient.hdel(key, field, function(err, res) {
 			callback(err);
diff --git a/src/groups.js b/src/groups.js
index 100550416c..69e33772c0 100644
--- a/src/groups.js
+++ b/src/groups.js
@@ -147,7 +147,7 @@ var async = require('async'),
 						return next(err);
 					}
 
-					if (options.expand) {
+					if (options.expand && uids.length) {
 						async.map(uids, user.getUserData, next);
 					} else {
 						next(err, uids);
@@ -405,9 +405,29 @@ var async = require('async'),
 
 	Groups.exists = function(name, callback) {
 		if (Array.isArray(name)) {
-			db.isSetMembers('groups', name, callback);
+			var slugs = name.map(function(groupName) {
+					return utils.slugify(groupName);
+				});
+			async.parallel([
+				async.apply(db.isObjectFields, 'groupslug:groupname', slugs),
+				async.apply(db.isSetMembers, 'groups', name)
+			], function(err, results) {
+				if (err) {
+					return callback(err);
+				}
+
+				callback(null, results.map(function(pair) {
+					return pair[0] || pair[1];
+				}));
+			});
 		} else {
-			db.isSetMember('groups', name, callback);
+			var slug = utils.slugify(name);
+			async.parallel([
+				async.apply(db.isObjectField, 'groupslug:groupname', slug),
+				async.apply(db.isSetMember, 'groups', name)
+			], function(err, results) {
+				callback(err, !err ? (results[0] || results[1]) : null);
+			});
 		}
 	};