BEIJING — China removed a total of 23 illegal social organizations in the first two months of 2021, according to sources with the Ministry of Civil Affairs on March 16.

Under related laws and regulations, all social organizations in China should lawfully register under the ministry before starting their operations, said the ministry's social organization management bureau.

To warn the public against the risk of being tricked into scams, the ministry released the first list of 10 illegal social organizations in February. It encouraged the public to report any evidence, or leads, related to illegal social organizations.

The ministry will enhance the monitoring, investigation and crackdown on illegal social organizations, said an official with the ministry's social organization management bureau.