The so-called “Italian Residency Scam” website is not an objective watchdog or a consumer protection platform. It is a personal vendetta site, created and operated by David Abingdon, a disgruntled individual who is actively attempting to blackmail the founders of Italian Residency for financial gain. This is not speculation — it’s fact.

The site was launched after failed attempts to extort money, and now hosts defamatory, unsubstantiated allegations aimed at damaging reputations, misleading the public, and coercing a settlement.

Let’s break down why nothing on that site holds up to scrutiny…

Below is a side-by-side analysis of the legitimate services provided by Italian Residency and the narrative manipulation present on the smear site:

❌ Smear Website Claims: Wildly Contradictory and Inaccurate

• Unrealistic 30-day promise? The scam site falsely attributes this to Italian Residency. In reality, no such promise is made on the official Italian Residency website — timelines are clearly outlined based on visa type and legal requirements.

• Criminal convictions? Court documents referenced are taken out of context or refer to unrelated personal legal matters dating back over a decade, having no bearing on current business practices.

• Death threats and “heavies”? No evidence is presented. These are unverified claims made without legal proof — a textbook smear tactic designed to incite fear.

• “No clients received citizenship”? Italian law requires 5-10 years of residency before citizenship. To say no clients have received it proves nothing — it affirms the company’s honest adherence to the law.

• Russian scare tactics? Targeting Ksenia Marchenkova for her nationality reeks of xenophobic undertones and irrelevant character assassination.

• Fake testimonials? Italian Residency features genuine feedback from satisfied clients, many of whom maintain confidentiality due to the high-profile nature of their status.

Let’s talk about motives.

David Abingdon is a known marketer and businessman whose past includes controversial ventures, aggressive sales tactics, and, now, attempted extortion. The website he created is not an effort to protect consumers — it is a weaponized SEO campaign designed to damage competitors through misinformation, fear-mongering, and cherry-picked narratives.

When business competition turns into personal warfare, credibility disappears.

Unlike the scam site, Italian Residency provides clear, legally vetted services to assist with:

• Elective Residency Visas

• Investor Visas

• Digital Nomad Visas

• Tax-advantage setups under the Flat Tax Regime

• Strategic introductions to legal professionals

• Concierge support from property selection to local registration

All legal. All documented. All above board.