Woman spends over $3,000 online shopping in her sleep, caused by rare disorder

ENGLAND (WKRC) – A 42-year-old mother isn’t having her nights ruined by nightmares or a crying baby, but by uncontrollable online shopping.

Kelly Knipes was diagnosed with parasomnia in 2018, a broad condition characterized by strange behavior during sleep. Some of the ways the condition manifests itself are predictable, like sleepwalking and talking. Others, like online shopping, are much stranger.

Knipes often wakes up to deliveries she has no memory of making, like a full-sized plastic basketball court or hundreds of packs of candies. These purchases, alongside the numerous others, have pushed Knipes over $3,000 in debt.

“It’s upsetting and frustrating going to bed thinking, ‘I don’t know what the night is going to lead to,'” Kelly said.

Knipes’ credit card information is saved on her phone, which allows her to unconsciously rack up packages to surprise herself in the morning.

Interestingly, online shopping isn’t the only threat to Knipes’ bank account at night. She’s also fallen prey to scammers who used her condition against her. They requested her financial information over text, which she says she would have never answered if she was awake. Unfortunately, she woke up the next morning to find $250 missing from her account. Other scammers have attempted the same approach, but Knipes’ bank has been diligent about blocking suspicious transactions.

To Kelly’s chagrin, she can’t just return most of the items.

“I couldn’t refund any food purchases, like the Haribos,” she said. “I kept the tins of paint and the [play] house because when that arrived, and my kids saw it, I felt I couldn’t return it.”

Knipes’ “sleep spending” problem is hard enough on its own, but compounded with her sleep apnea, and the medical challenges of her three children, she’s spread thin.

“It can be anxiety-inducing,” she said. “Everyone thinks it’s funny, but it’s not. Some bits are, but some bits are quite serious.”