Shenzhen Economic Crime Investigation: Beware of RWA Real Estate Tokenization Scams; Related Financing in China Constitutes Illegal Financial Activities

According to disclosures by the Shenzhen Economic Crime Investigation Department, investors have recently suffered financial losses from investment scams operating under the guise of "RWA real estate tokenization." These schemes typically use technical pretenses such as "automated smart contract dividend payouts" and "verifiability on blockchain explorers" to lure investors into purchasing fictitious on-chain fractionalized real estate ownership. Once the funds are collected, dividend distributions cease and the operators disappear. The Shenzhen Economic Crime Investigation Department pointed out that smart contract addresses and company registration information only prove the existence of the code and the registered corporate entity; they do not indicate that the projects are genuinely backed by underlying physical assets, nor do they signify that the projects hold financial business qualifications. Under China's current regulatory framework, any tokenized financing activities conducted domestically under the name of RWA constitute illegal financial activities. Virtual currencies do not possess the status of legal tender, and related token issuance financing and speculative trading are not protected by law.