diff --git a/ghost/verification-trigger/lib/verification-trigger.js b/ghost/verification-trigger/lib/verification-trigger.js
index cb45ff7040..7d611c1ee1 100644
--- a/ghost/verification-trigger/lib/verification-trigger.js
+++ b/ghost/verification-trigger/lib/verification-trigger.js
@@ -67,8 +67,10 @@ class VerificationTrigger {
             const createdAt = new Date();
             createdAt.setDate(createdAt.getDate() - 30);
             const events = await this._eventRepository.getCreatedEvents({}, {
-                'data.source': `data.source:'${source}'`,
-                'data.created_at': `data.created_at:>'${createdAt.toISOString().replace('T', ' ').substring(0, 19)}'`
+                source: source,
+                created_at: {
+                    $gt: createdAt.toISOString().replace('T', ' ').substring(0, 19)
+                }
             });
 
             if (events.meta.pagination.total > sourceThreshold) {
@@ -100,8 +102,10 @@ class VerificationTrigger {
         const createdAt = new Date();
         createdAt.setDate(createdAt.getDate() - 30);
         const events = await this._eventRepository.getCreatedEvents({}, {
-            'data.source': `data.source:'import'`,
-            'data.created_at': `data.created_at:>'${createdAt.toISOString().replace('T', ' ').substring(0, 19)}'`
+            source: 'import',
+            created_at: {
+                $gt: createdAt.toISOString().replace('T', ' ').substring(0, 19)
+            }
         });
 
         const membersTotal = await this._membersStats.getTotalMembers();
diff --git a/ghost/verification-trigger/test/verification-trigger.test.js b/ghost/verification-trigger/test/verification-trigger.test.js
index d4c4859737..5f44743b69 100644
--- a/ghost/verification-trigger/test/verification-trigger.test.js
+++ b/ghost/verification-trigger/test/verification-trigger.test.js
@@ -185,10 +185,11 @@ describe('Email verification flow', function () {
         }, new Date()));
 
         eventStub.callCount.should.eql(1);
-        eventStub.lastCall.lastArg.should.have.property('data.source');
-        eventStub.lastCall.lastArg.should.have.property('data.created_at');
-        eventStub.lastCall.lastArg['data.source'].should.eql(`data.source:'api'`);
-        eventStub.lastCall.lastArg['data.created_at'].should.startWith(`data.created_at:>'`);
+        eventStub.lastCall.lastArg.should.have.property('source');
+        eventStub.lastCall.lastArg.source.should.eql('api');
+        eventStub.lastCall.lastArg.should.have.property('created_at');
+        eventStub.lastCall.lastArg.created_at.should.have.property('$gt');
+        eventStub.lastCall.lastArg.created_at.$gt.should.match(/\d{4}-\d{2}-\d{2} \d{2}:\d{2}:\d{2}/);
     });
 
     it('Triggers when a number of members are imported', async function () {
@@ -221,10 +222,11 @@ describe('Email verification flow', function () {
         await trigger.testImportThreshold();
 
         eventStub.callCount.should.eql(1);
-        eventStub.lastCall.lastArg.should.have.property('data.source');
-        eventStub.lastCall.lastArg.should.have.property('data.created_at');
-        eventStub.lastCall.lastArg['data.source'].should.eql(`data.source:'import'`);
-        eventStub.lastCall.lastArg['data.created_at'].should.startWith(`data.created_at:>'`);
+        eventStub.lastCall.lastArg.should.have.property('source');
+        eventStub.lastCall.lastArg.source.should.eql('import');
+        eventStub.lastCall.lastArg.should.have.property('created_at');
+        eventStub.lastCall.lastArg.created_at.should.have.property('$gt');
+        eventStub.lastCall.lastArg.created_at.$gt.should.match(/\d{4}-\d{2}-\d{2} \d{2}:\d{2}:\d{2}/);
 
         emailStub.callCount.should.eql(1);
         emailStub.lastCall.firstArg.should.eql({
@@ -268,10 +270,11 @@ describe('Email verification flow', function () {
         });
 
         eventStub.callCount.should.eql(1);
-        eventStub.lastCall.lastArg.should.have.property('data.source');
-        eventStub.lastCall.lastArg.should.have.property('data.created_at');
-        eventStub.lastCall.lastArg['data.source'].should.eql(`data.source:'admin'`);
-        eventStub.lastCall.lastArg['data.created_at'].should.startWith(`data.created_at:>'`);
+        eventStub.lastCall.lastArg.should.have.property('source');
+        eventStub.lastCall.lastArg.source.should.eql('admin');
+        eventStub.lastCall.lastArg.should.have.property('created_at');
+        eventStub.lastCall.lastArg.created_at.should.have.property('$gt');
+        eventStub.lastCall.lastArg.created_at.$gt.should.match(/\d{4}-\d{2}-\d{2} \d{2}:\d{2}:\d{2}/);
 
         emailStub.callCount.should.eql(1);
         emailStub.lastCall.firstArg.should.eql({
@@ -316,10 +319,11 @@ describe('Email verification flow', function () {
         });
 
         eventStub.callCount.should.eql(1);
-        eventStub.lastCall.lastArg.should.have.property('data.source');
-        eventStub.lastCall.lastArg.should.have.property('data.created_at');
-        eventStub.lastCall.lastArg['data.source'].should.eql(`data.source:'api'`);
-        eventStub.lastCall.lastArg['data.created_at'].should.startWith(`data.created_at:>'`);
+        eventStub.lastCall.lastArg.should.have.property('source');
+        eventStub.lastCall.lastArg.source.should.eql('api');
+        eventStub.lastCall.lastArg.should.have.property('created_at');
+        eventStub.lastCall.lastArg.created_at.should.have.property('$gt');
+        eventStub.lastCall.lastArg.created_at.$gt.should.match(/\d{4}-\d{2}-\d{2} \d{2}:\d{2}:\d{2}/);
 
         emailStub.callCount.should.eql(1);
         emailStub.lastCall.firstArg.should.eql({