As a general rule it is not advisable to attempt to “hide” from your creditors if you are experiencing financial difficulties, because Ohio law provides them with mechanisms to seek out what money you do have on hand or in the form of wages to recover what they are owed even if you refuse to acknowledge them. A frequently-used tool in this regard is garnishment.
Ohio’s garnishment law lays out the process that a creditor must follow to initiate the process of garnishment against you, This begins with the creditor obtaining a court judgment against you for amounts owed, which the law then allows to be converted into garnishment against any bank accounts you may have or your wages if you are employed. Note that it does no good to avoid the debt collection court action against you; if you fail to defend yourself against such a lawsuit, the creditor can obtain a default judgment against you.
Once garnishment begins, you will receive notice from your financial institution or your employer informing you of the commencement of garnishment. Each time the creditor garnishes your bank account a separate notice needs to be given, but only one notice need be sent to begin garnishing your wages. Again, it will do you no good to ignore these notices; if you do, the garnishment will take place in any event.
You have the legal right to contest garnishment proceedings against you, but to do so you must engage with your creditors and not attempt to ignore them. This engagement must follow certain legal requirements that an attorney experienced with Ohio debt collection law can help you to understand and to navigate.
