Following recent news of thousands of disappointed fans buying tickets that failed to turn up, we have decided that it was about time we collated information on the bad guys... The following is a list of agencies and resellers who, we are told, have let their customers down. We have tried to list individuals and locations involved in the hope of picking out follow up operations.

This list is not supposed to protect you from bad service. Promoters are sending out tickets closer and closer to events so it is not unusual for you to not get your tickets from legitimate resellers until a couple of days before the event. The idea of this Blacklist is here to warn you off sites that may not deliver at all...

Part 1: The Blacklist

We've had to suspend this feature for a while whilst we work out how we can verify the information we receive.

In the meantime, follow the tips below and if not sure about a site, don't buy!

Part 2: Do your research

Not on the list but still concerned? Here any some tips to help you work out whether a particular seller is legit:

1. Browse - Look through the site, look at the contact pages, FAQs, terms and conditions and any other related info. Can you find an address? Contact telephone number? How about a registered company name or number? (UK law requires companies to state this information on their websites). If you can't find a company name or the operation is based outside the UK, alarm bells should start to ring.

2. Companies House (http://www.companieshouse.gov.uk/) - If a website is operated by a UK registered company, the details will be available to investigate here. Googling the registered office to see if it sounds like a proper office. PO Boxes are a bad sign.

3. WHOIS (http://www.whois.net/) - This enables you to find out details of who registered/owns the website. It may also reveal details of the company actually behind the site. Again, you should be looking for a UK registered company, not an individual with a hotmail email and a residential address.

4. Google it - It may seem obvious but if a site dodgy it is likely that someone else has already been conned. Google the name and see what you can find out. Try searching consumer friendly forums such as those at MoneySavingExpert (http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/) are also a good place to search.

5. Compare the format... - New sites are cropping up all the time, but conmen can be lazy, compare the site you are thinking of buying from with the sites listed above. Con men often launch new sites once their existing one has attracted too much poor attention but they often recycle features from the old site. If it looks too familiar it is a bad sign...

6. If in doubt, don't - If it looks dodgy, then it probably isn't worth the risk. Shameless self-promotion alert - have you tried our TicketFinder? (It searches lots of the secondary reseller sites, some of which guarantee delivery).

7. Buy on a credit card - If the tickets cost more than £100 section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act means that the card issuer is jointly liable for the failure to provide goods or services. Contact your card issuer for a refund.

8. If you are using eBay - always use Paypal and use the dispute console in Paypal to freeze transactions if the tickets are not received within 45 days (Paypal do not refund after that point). Beware the new eBay scam, where fraudsters are sending empty envelopes via Special Delivery. Open specials in front of the postman, so he or she can witness the contents.

Part 3 : But its too late...

Ok, so the tickets haven't arrived. You may still have some redress...

1. What type of card did you use? - Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act means that if you used a credit card, the card issuer is jointly liable for the failure to provide goods or services. Contact your card issuer for a refund. If you used a debit card, your bank may offer a chargeback facility if you claim your money back within 90 days. Contact your bank as soon as possible.

2. Sue! - If you think you can track down those behind the site, you can issue a claim through the MoneyClaimOnline service (http://www.moneyclaim.gov.uk/). This is the simplest way for you to try to recover money but of course, it depends on whether you can determine who is responsible for your purchase.

Have we got in wrong?

We aim to check out the info we receive before putting it on this Blacklist but we can guarantee its accuracy. If you feel that you or your organisation has been added unfairly, please use Contact to let us know and we will happily correct our mistakes.

Our campaign...

At BeatTheTouts, we are concerned that the reason so many people get conned by these sites is due to the Google adverts. Our suggestion is that before a site is able to sell tickets it must register with a recognised body or provide contact details and registered company details. Before an individual or company is able to purchase these Adwords, they should be checked against this list.

Do you have any contacts to help us? Or other suggestions for putting an end to these schemes? Please use Contact to let us know.

Thanks...

The information for this Blacklist has been compiled from various sources including The Guardian, MoneySavingExpert and others. Thank you for those who have granted permission for reuse of this information.