diff --git a/src/libxrpl/tx/transactors/delegate/DelegateSet.cpp b/src/libxrpl/tx/transactors/delegate/DelegateSet.cpp
index 82fe88aa9f..32a51555b1 100644
--- a/src/libxrpl/tx/transactors/delegate/DelegateSet.cpp
+++ b/src/libxrpl/tx/transactors/delegate/DelegateSet.cpp
@@ -52,9 +52,13 @@ DelegateSet::preclaim(PreclaimContext const& ctx)
     if (!ctx.view.exists(keylet::account(ctx.tx[sfAccount])))
         return terNO_ACCOUNT;  // LCOV_EXCL_LINE
 
-    if (!ctx.view.exists(keylet::account(ctx.tx[sfAuthorize])))
+    auto const sleAuthorize = ctx.view.read(keylet::account(ctx.tx[sfAuthorize]));
+    if (!sleAuthorize)
         return tecNO_TARGET;
 
+    if (isPseudoAccount(sleAuthorize))
+        return tecNO_PERMISSION;
+
     // Deleting the delegate object is invalid if it doesn’t exist.
     if (ctx.tx.getFieldArray(sfPermissions).empty() &&
         !ctx.view.exists(keylet::delegate(ctx.tx[sfAccount], ctx.tx[sfAuthorize])))
diff --git a/src/test/app/Delegate_test.cpp b/src/test/app/Delegate_test.cpp
index 20668a42bf..1516219e46 100644
--- a/src/test/app/Delegate_test.cpp
+++ b/src/test/app/Delegate_test.cpp
@@ -235,6 +235,19 @@ class Delegate_test : public beast::unit_test::Suite
             env(delegate::set(gw, Account("unknown"), {"Payment"}), Ter(tecNO_TARGET));
         }
 
+        // Delegating to a pseudo-account is not allowed, should return tecNO_PERMISSION
+        {
+            Vault const vault{env};
+            auto [tx, keylet] = vault.create({.owner = gw, .asset = xrpIssue()});
+            env(tx);
+            env.close();
+
+            auto const sleVault = env.le(keylet);
+            BEAST_EXPECT(sleVault);
+            Account const vaultPseudo{"vault", sleVault->at(sfAccount)};
+            env(delegate::set(gw, vaultPseudo, {"Payment"}), Ter(tecNO_PERMISSION));
+        }
+
         // non-delegable transaction
         {
             env(delegate::set(gw, alice, {"SetRegularKey"}), Ter(temMALFORMED));