With the implementation of China's first Charity Law, 13 online platforms have obtained qualification from the Ministry of Civil Affairs to vet and operate online charitable donations. The new system is aimed at making online donations more transparent.

With Internet use growing among nearly all populations, online charity has become the most common and popular form of charity. From Weibo to WeChat, netizens are turning to the Internet to educate themselves about charities and make donations with just one click.

However, the Internet has also become a breeding ground for online scams. On Aug. 9, police in the city of Handan arrested a fraudster who was pretending to be a representative of the China Charity Federation. On Sept. 6, police in Anhui and Jilin provinces cracked two crime rings that were defrauding innocent citizens by falsely adopting the name of a charity.

Rampant online scams not only dampen the enthusiasm of potential donors, they also deal a serious blow to many charities. The newly enacted Charity Law stipulates that charity organizations must release information about donations on platforms that are approved by China's Ministry of Civil Affairs.

"If charity organizations fail to release the information on designated platforms, we will now hold them accountable in accordance with the law," said An Ning, an official with the ministry.

The ministry began to assess the qualification of 47 online platforms in April, ultimately selecting 13 for approval, including platforms operated by Taobao and Tencent. The Charity Law requires these platforms to verify the certificates and qualifications of any charity organization seeking to solicit donations on their platforms.

According to An, the ministry is currently developing a report system for the platforms to improve their supervision.