Development: Spam Filter Utility

Created by Patricia Donohue
Last updated: Dec 10, 2024
4 min read

Development of the spam filter web service and user interface began in early 2017 to assist colleges in making accurate and informed decisions on whether an application is fraud or not.  The tool consists of three main components: the post-submission web service, the machine-learning model and prediction service, and the user interface to review and confirm identified fraud. 

This page talks about the Spam Filter User Interface project, what it includes, and how it operates.

Spam Filter Utility Interface

The Spam Filter utility allows college staff to manually process applications that are suspected to be fraud and removed from the submission pipeline before delivery to the college via the College Adapter (Superglue). The utility resides in the CCCApply Administrator for CCCApply Standard Applications only. 

As we learned above, every application that is submitted through CCCApply is analyzed by a machine learning model in the prediction service. If the prediction service believes that the application meets the criteria for fraud, it will update the fraud status field flag from "Pending" to "Checked Fraud" and is suspended temporarily in the Spam Filter utility to be processed by the college's Admissions & Records staff.

Applications that do not meet the criteria by the prediction service are flagged as “Checked Not Fraud" and released to the college for delivery.

Spam Filter Summary Table

Each application that is flagged "Checked Fraud" will display in the "Spam Filter" summary table in the CCCApply Administrator.  Each application row has a checkbox which the user can select individually or in bulk.  Once an application or set of applications is selected two buttons will appear enabled above the summary table:  "Confirm Spam" and "Mark as Valid" - giving the college control over whether application(s) is moved to the continuous training model to grow the machine learning algorithm, or for legitimate applications that have been flagged in error, are removed from the suspension folder and placed back in the post-submission pipeline to be delivered to the college.  

  • Confirm Spam button:  The college should select this action to confirm that the application meets the criteria for fraud and should NOT be delivered to the college. 

  • Mark as Valid button: The college should select this action to remove the application from the spam suspension folder and push the application to be delivered to the college.

Suspended Applications displayed in the Spam Filter Utility interface.

 

Spam Filter Workflow

The workflow process for the spam filter works like this:

  1. College staff log in to the CCCApply Administrator to monitor the spam filter utility activity.

  2. Suspended applications are reviewed and investigated by college staff.

  3. College staff make the final determination: Confirm as Spam or Mark as Fraud

  4. If the college determines it to be “Fraud” - then the fraud status flag is changed from Checked Fraud to Confirmed Fraud

  5. If the college determines it to be “Not Fraud” - then the fraud status flag is changed from Checked Not Fraud to Confirmed NOT Fraud

  6. A “Confirmed Fraud” flag calls the Spam Filter API to suspend application.

  7. Applications that are Confirmed Not Fraud are sent immediately to the college via the College Adapter (Superglue)

  8. All applications are examined by the ML model for continuous learning.

Spam Monitoring & Email Notifications

As part of the User Interface workflow process, service monitoring has been implemented to notify the college that one or more applications has been flagged as fraudulent and is sitting in the User Interface for their confirmation (processing). If even one application has been predicted to be fraud and moved to the suspension folder, the college will receive an email notification alert reminder.  

To help college's adapt to the new spam filter, monitoring has been implemented to alert the college by email if one or more submitted applications has been suspended in the Spam Filter (Summary Table). The two email messages are: 

  • Daily Spam Alert Email:  Sends an email alert to the "Admissions Office Email" to notify the college that one or more applications have been suspended and need to be managed in the Spam Filter User Interface

  • Reminder Spam Alert Email: Sends an email alert to the "Admissions Office Email" to notify the college that one or more applications has been sitting in the suspension folder for 3 days or more.

This email alert is a reminder to the college that all applications suspended in the Spam Filter need to be "confirmed" by the college in order for the model to continue to grow and learn.  

 

IMPORTANT NOTE

Setting Up the Spam Email Notification Recipient

The Spam email notifications are sent out once per day if one or more applications are awaiting confirmation in the Spam Filter User Interface.  Email notifications will be sent to the "Admissions Office Email" field in the "College Information" module in the CCCApply Administrator 2.0, which is accessible in the header from any application screen in the Administrator.  Colleges should either update this important contact field with an appropriate email contact and address - to ensure the spam email notifications are sent to the correct Admissions Office staff member's email address responsible for monitoring the spam filter, or add email "forwarding" to that email address to the most appropriate email contact. 

 

It is the responsibility of each college to monitor incoming email notifications, as well as processing their suspension folder (User Interface) on a regular basis.  Though the prediction service is calculating the probability ratings at a 98.99% accuracy rate, there is still a possibility that a legitimate application may get caught in the spam user interface; just like out own spam email filters.

Admissions Office Contact Information is captured in the
College Information module in the CCCApply Administrator.