diff --git a/pdal/util/FileUtils.cpp b/pdal/util/FileUtils.cpp
index 7ca17e3bc6..fb06ea0ed4 100644
--- a/pdal/util/FileUtils.cpp
+++ b/pdal/util/FileUtils.cpp
@@ -79,6 +79,11 @@ namespace FileUtils
 
 std::istream *openFile(std::string const& filename, bool asBinary)
 {
+    std::string::size_type found_tilde(std::string::npos);
+    found_tilde = filename.find('~');
+    if (found_tilde != std::string::npos)
+        throw pdal::pdal_error("PDAL does not support shell expansion");
+
     std::ifstream *ifs = nullptr;
 
     std::string name(filename);
@@ -371,7 +376,15 @@ std::string extension(const std::string& filename)
 std::vector<std::string> glob(std::string path)
 {
     std::vector<std::string> filenames;
+
+
 #ifdef WIN32
+
+    std::string::size_type found_tilde(std::string::npos);
+    found_tilde = path.find('~');
+    if (found_tilde != std::string::npos)
+        throw pdal::pdal_error("PDAL does not support shell expansion");
+
     WIN32_FIND_DATA ffd;
     HANDLE handle = FindFirstFile(path.c_str(), &ffd);
 
diff --git a/test/unit/FileUtilsTest.cpp b/test/unit/FileUtilsTest.cpp
index a634b3e173..92a2934ebb 100644
--- a/test/unit/FileUtilsTest.cpp
+++ b/test/unit/FileUtilsTest.cpp
@@ -75,6 +75,8 @@ TEST(FileUtilsTest, test_file_ops)
     // delete test
     FileUtils::deleteFile(tmp2);
     EXPECT_TRUE(FileUtils::fileExists(tmp2)==false);
+
+    EXPECT_THROW(FileUtils::openFile("~foo1.glob"), pdal::pdal_error);
 }
 
 TEST(FileUtilsTest, test_readFileIntoString)
@@ -242,6 +244,10 @@ TEST(FileUtilsTest, glob)
     EXPECT_EQ(FileUtils::glob(TP("*.glob")).size(), 0u);
     EXPECT_EQ(FileUtils::glob(TP("foo1.glob")).size(), 0u);
 
+#ifdef _WIN32
+    EXPECT_THROW(FileUtils::glob(TP("~foo1.glob")), pdal::pdal_error);
+#endif
+
     FileUtils::deleteFile("temp.glob");
     FileUtils::closeFile(FileUtils::createFile("temp.glob"));
     EXPECT_EQ(FileUtils::glob("temp.glob").size(), 1u);