Colon in index marker text

I have a mif file from which I need to create a 1 level index.

I have numerous data which contains a colon; so the MText tag looks something like this - <MText `Accredited: Representative'>

Now, I know that the function of a colon is "Separates levels in an entry"

I also read "Note: To enter a backslash or any special character used in these building blocks—colon, semicolon, bracket, or angle bracket—as regular characters, precede it with a backslash (\)."

I can make the MText look like this - <MText `Acccredited\: Representative'>

But this does not work; I still get a 2 level entry in my index. What am I missing?

Any help is greatly appreciated.