WazirX Sparks Fresh Outrage Over Auto-Enrollment in ZERO Program
Another day, another crypto exchange controversy—and this time, WazirX is back in the hot seat. The platform's latest move to auto-enroll users into its ZERO program has ignited a fresh wave of user frustration and industry scrutiny.
Opt-Out, Not Opt-In
Users report waking up to find themselves automatically signed up for ZERO—WazirX's zero-fee trading incentive. No confirmation emails, no clear toggle in settings. Just a quiet, unilateral shift in terms that puts the burden of action squarely on the customer. It's the digital equivalent of a restaurant adding a 'convenience fee' to your bill unless you specifically ask them not to.
The Fine Print Problem
Buried in the updated terms are clauses about data sharing, promotional communications, and eligibility criteria that weren't part of the original pitch. Regular traders might shrug—but for passive holders and institutional clients, it's an unwelcome layer of complexity. One compliance officer at a mid-sized fund called it 'a compliance headache dressed up as a benefit.'
Trust Takes a Hit
Exchanges live and die by user trust. Auto-enrollment tactics—especially in a sector still fighting perceptions of opacity—erode that trust faster than a bear market. When platforms make decisions for users instead of with them, it smells less like innovation and more like old-school financial engineering with a crypto wrapper.
Where's the Upside?
WazirX claims ZERO boosts trading volume and user engagement. Maybe. But forced adoption rarely builds loyal communities. In a market where users can (and do) vote with their wallets, treating consent as an afterthought is a risky strategy—especially when competitors are just a click away.
The broader lesson? Crypto was supposed to democratize finance, not automate the same tired tricks from the traditional playbook. When your 'disruptive' feature rollout feels like a telecom company's hidden fee structure, you've missed the point entirely.
Users rage over ZERO subscription
Anger spread across X within hours, with users alleging that WazirX silently opted accounts into the ₹99-per-month ZERO plan, charging wallets that had seen no activity for months or even years.
User Neel Kruketi wrote that despite leaving the platform after withdrawals were halted, WazirX deducted ₹100 from his wallet without warning. “Wazirx 0 a new program that everyone gets auto subscribed to for INR 99 per month… I had 1200inr in my wallet and they took 100inr without consent,” he wrote.
Many of us stopped using Wazirx after no withdrawals from past 2 years but Nischal found another way of doing chindi chori:
Wazirx 0 a new program that everyone gets auto subscribed to for INR 99 per month… I had 1200inr in my wallet and they took 100inr without consent.
This… https://t.co/qfdLeJVSos
A screenshots shared by user dkryptoindia show auto-renewal enabled by default, forcing users to opt out manually to avoid charges. “Everyone auto-enrolled to this WazirX ZERO, and without our consent we are now auto-charged and invoices are sent to our mails, without any prior notification or anything,” the user said.
@WazirXIndia scammed again!!
As a loyal #WazirX user, I thought we must give @NischalShetty team another chance in this #crypto space.
But they again decided to deceive their users. So, everyone auto-enrolled to this WazirX ZERO, and without our consent we are now auto-charged… pic.twitter.com/OEVVi68wYG
The backlash intensified due to timing, as many affected users still have a portion of their assets locked following WazirX’s 2024 hack and court-approved restructuring.
No response from the team
As of publication, WazirX has not issued a public response addressing the auto-enrollment complaints. There has been no explanation for why ZERO was switched on by default, no word on refunds, and no clear answer on how user consent was supposedly obtained.
The silence has only fueled frustration, with users asking why the exchange is comfortable charging fees while withdrawals are still locked.
WazirX’s restart and fund redistribution timeline
WazirX’s problems go back to July 2024, when a major hack wiped out roughly $230 million, about 45% of user funds. Withdrawals were frozen overnight, and the platform went dark as its Singapore-based parent, Zettai Pte Ltd, moved into court-supervised restructuring.
Users regained, only a year later, access to roughly 55% of their balances, while the remaining 45% was converted into “Recovery Tokens,” tied to future buybacks funded by exchange profits.
The exchange claimed that up to 85% of verified assets had been distributed, though it later acknowledged that around 34% of balances remained frozen due to ongoing legal probes. crypto withdrawals remain restricted for many users despite open deposits and trading.
The ZERO subscription, launched in late November, was pitched as a flat-fee trading model that could help generate revenue for recovery efforts. However, the exchange has not clearly stated whether subscription income will be used to buy back Recovery Tokens.
Why critics are calling it a “scam platform”
Critics say the label didn’t come from one mistake but from a series of choices that steadily eroded trust. The firm is currently facing backlash over repeated court proceedings, changing explanations about frozen funds, vague recovery promises, and long stretches with little transparency. In this facade, each update seems to answer one question while raising two more.
Hacks, users admit, can happen to any exchange. What’s harder to defend is what follows. Funds have stayed locked for more than a year, repayments hinge on future profits that may never materialize, and new revenue schemes keep appearing while many users still can’t withdraw their own money.
Courts signed off, but many investors say the deal saved WazirX, not their money. With no clear view to full recovery, even small charges, especially those applied without consent, reinforce the sense that the exchange is focused on staying alive, not making users whole.
Also read: Coinbase Phishing Scammer Arrested in New York After Probe
