diff --git a/app/models/post.rb b/app/models/post.rb
index a4df5df7787..e967f46bd43 100644
--- a/app/models/post.rb
+++ b/app/models/post.rb
@@ -303,6 +303,7 @@ class Post < ActiveRecord::Base
   # Prevent new users from posting the same hosts too many times.
   def has_host_spam?
     return false if acting_user.present? && (acting_user.staged? || acting_user.has_trust_level?(TrustLevel[1]))
+    return false if topic&.private_message?
 
     total_hosts_usage.values.any? { |count| count >= SiteSetting.newuser_spam_host_threshold }
   end
diff --git a/spec/models/post_spec.rb b/spec/models/post_spec.rb
index aff50f205d0..b6128472cc9 100644
--- a/spec/models/post_spec.rb
+++ b/spec/models/post_spec.rb
@@ -835,8 +835,10 @@ describe Post do
   end
 
   describe "has_host_spam" do
+    let(:raw) { "hello from my site http://www.somesite.com http://#{GlobalSetting.hostname} http://#{RailsMultisite::ConnectionManagement.current_hostname}" }
+
     it "correctly detects host spam" do
-      post = Fabricate(:post, raw: "hello from my site http://www.somesite.com http://#{GlobalSetting.hostname} http://#{RailsMultisite::ConnectionManagement.current_hostname}")
+      post = Fabricate(:post, raw: raw)
 
       expect(post.total_hosts_usage).to eq("www.somesite.com" => 1)
       post.acting_user.trust_level = 0
@@ -850,6 +852,20 @@ describe Post do
       SiteSetting.white_listed_spam_host_domains = "bla.com|boo.com | somesite.com "
       expect(post.has_host_spam?).to eq(false)
     end
+
+    it "doesn't punish staged users" do
+      SiteSetting.newuser_spam_host_threshold = 1
+      user = Fabricate(:user, staged: true, trust_level: 0)
+      post = Fabricate(:post, raw: raw, user: user)
+      expect(post.has_host_spam?).to eq(false)
+    end
+
+    it "ignores private messages" do
+      SiteSetting.newuser_spam_host_threshold = 1
+      user = Fabricate(:user, trust_level: 0)
+      post = Fabricate(:post, raw: raw, user: user, topic: Fabricate(:private_message_topic, user: user))
+      expect(post.has_host_spam?).to eq(false)
+    end
   end
 
   it "has custom fields" do