Email Passwordless Connection "The specified new email already exists" for Inexistent Email Address upon Updating Profile

An end-user tried to update the email address, and the tenant threw the error:

The specified new email already exists.

However, the new/desired email address does not appear in the user search results.
 

Tenant log:

{
  "date": "2024-03-25T16:01:04.177Z",
  "type": "fce",
  "description": "The specified new email already exists",
  "connection": "email",
  "connection_id": "<connection ID>",
  "client_id": "<client ID>",
  "client_name": "All Applications",
  "ip": "xxx",
  "user_agent": "Other 0.0.0 / Other 0.0.0",
  "details": {
    "body": {
      "tenant": "<tenant>",
      "client_id": "<client ID>",
      "user_id": "<user ID>",
      "connection": "email",
      "email": "old_email@example.com",
      "newEmail": "new_email@example.com",
      "verify": false,
      "email_verified": false
    },
    "authentication_methods": [
      "email"
    ]
  },
  "user_id": "auth0|<id>",
  "user_name": "old_email@example.com",
  "strategy": "email",
  "strategy_type": "passwordless",
  "$event_schema": {
    "version": "1.0.0"
  },
  "log_id": "xxx",
  "_id": "xxx",
  "isMobile": false
}

• Email Passwordless Connection

1. Reach out to the Support Center.
2. Use Management API (POST /api/v2/users) to create a user passing the email that is "orphaned" and the user will be fully created (no longer an orphan.) At this point, it is visible from the dashboard and can be deleted. And then the end-user can have the email changed.
3. Ask the end-user to complete the sign-up flow and delete it once it is fully created.