You may know a late payment or high outstanding balance can hurt your credit. However, what about shopping at a massage parlor, retreading a tire or visiting a marriage counselor? Credit Counselors warn (according to a lawsuit filed by the Federal Trade Commission against card issuer CompuCredit) such activities can count.

The lawsuit against CompuCredit for using supposedly deceptive marketing practices gives us a very rare look inside the unclear business of credit scoring. It exposes formulas that higher authorities like politicians have long suspected exist (that buying habits, not just payment history, matters).

Mostly, the allegations are focused on CompuCredit’s Aspire Visa (a credit card for risky borrowers with a high interest rate). The FTC claims that CompuCredit didn’t disclose that it monitored buying habits and lowered credit limits if customers used their cards at certain places. Among these places are: tire and retreading shops, massage parlors, bars, billiard halls and marriage counseling offices.

According to the FTC, CompuCredit originally told their cardholders that they could use their credit cards anywhere and is seeking $200 million for the deceptive practice. CompuCredit has also been penalized in the past by the New York Attorney General and Credit Counselors suggest that consumers stay away from this subprime credit card.

CompuCredit defends its practices. “Every time a consumer accesses their credit, a new decision to extend a loan is being made,” says CompuCredit’s general counsel. “These scoring models are commonplace across the industry.” Credit Counselors suggest that with more and more companies following similar practices, it may be wise to use more discretion as to where you are using your credit cards.