diff --git a/contracts/eoslib/account.h b/contracts/eoslib/account.h
index 8a83f0627c90cab6f1273f0b9a825c1dfe12f103..52fc4a1eca03ffd1e3270f08c754dd2ca59d6528 100644
--- a/contracts/eoslib/account.h
+++ b/contracts/eoslib/account.h
@@ -14,10 +14,11 @@
 
 extern "C" {
    /**
-    * @brief Return the balance for the provided account
+    * @brief Retrieve the balance for the provided account
     *
     * @param balance -  a pointer to a range of memory to store balance data
     * @param len     -  length of the range of memory to store balance data
+    * @ret true if account information is retrieved
     *
     * @pre data is a valid pointer to a range of memory at least datalen bytes long
     * @pre data is a pointer to a balance object
@@ -31,6 +32,6 @@ extern "C" {
     *  @endcode
     */
 
-   void account_balance_get( void* balance, uint32_t len );
+   bool account_balance_get( void* balance, uint32_t len );
    ///@ } accountcapi
 }
diff --git a/contracts/eoslib/account.hpp b/contracts/eoslib/account.hpp
index 0f543d185ec122bdd2200eeb4b5eb50161e6600c..cd6d5d0b294605b8b787e3e6dfcf9adbf838b25f 100644
--- a/contracts/eoslib/account.hpp
+++ b/contracts/eoslib/account.hpp
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@
 *
 */
 #pragma once
-#include <eoslib/math.hpp>
+#include <eoslib/account.h>
 #include <eoslib/print.hpp>
 
 
@@ -75,7 +75,7 @@ struct PACKED (account_balance) {
 
 bool get(account_balance& b)
 {
-   return account_balance(&b, sizeof(account_balance));
+   return account_balance_get(&b, sizeof(account_balance));
 }
 
 } }
diff --git a/libraries/chain/wasm_interface.cpp b/libraries/chain/wasm_interface.cpp
index 6afd93ae530c643c8c460a94c7f40115ff1889ab..9271f485d27ea33676680b0cfc922e45069a4129 100644
--- a/libraries/chain/wasm_interface.cpp
+++ b/libraries/chain/wasm_interface.cpp
@@ -735,6 +735,8 @@ DEFINE_INTRINSIC_FUNCTION2(env,account_balance_get,account_balance_get,i32,i32,c
 
   account_balance& total_balance = memoryRef<account_balance>( mem, charptr );
 
+  wasm.current_apply_context->require_scope(total_balance.account);
+
   auto& db = wasm.current_apply_context->db;
   auto* balance        = db.find< balance_object,by_owner_name >( total_balance.account );
   auto* staked_balance = db.find<staked_balance_object,by_owner_name>( total_balance.account );