Garnishee order
Updated 2026-09-29
A garnishee order is a court order directing a third party who owes money to the debtor, most often a bank holding the debtor’s funds, to pay that money to you directly instead. It is used after you already have a judgment in your favour.
When it matters
This order only works if you know where the debtor banks and that account holds funds, which is why tracing often comes first. It is one of the practical ways a civil claim against a scammer actually results in recovering the money, rather than just a judgment on paper. A lawyer can advise whether the debtor’s known accounts make this worth pursuing.
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