If somebody swipes your wallet and takes $50 without you knowing about it, it’s a crime. Period.

It doesn’t matter if they intended to give it back in a few hours or a few days. The bottom line is the crook took your money without your knowledge or permission.

If you use a debit or credit card, however, the practice is perfectly legal even though it amounts to the same thing.

Merchants can put a “hold” on their customers’ credit and debit cards after a purchase. The hold essentially reserves an amount of money in the account until the actual amount of the purchase can be processed. For example, a gas station might process a hold of $50 even though only $30 of gas was pumped. When the transaction clears, the $50 hold disappears, replaced by the actual $30 charge.

For people who live near the edge of the bank account balance or credit line, the practice can cause big trouble. Checks can bounce, credit limits can be exceeded, bills can go unpaid – all of it causing serious trouble on the person’s credit report. Businesses aren’t even required to tell their customers about the practice.

There are no requirements that the holds expire after a certain period, and there’s little consumers can do to speed up the process. They’re stuck until the actual transaction clears, which can be a matter or hours or days.

Merchants get a little extra protection from scofflaws who don’t have the money to cover their charges, and for most customers it’s a small inconvenience.

But just like the guy who “borrows” some cash from your wallet, fully intending to return it, merchants who use holds are violating the trust of their customers.

Maine should require all merchants to post their hold policies, so at least customers can be aware of what’s going on. Regulations should also limit the amount of time that a hold can stay in place.

With better knowledge and better regulations, consumers can decide for themselves if they want to patronize businesses that hold onto more money than they’re entitled to.