The Regina Police Service is investigating after an extortionist obtained nude videos and photos of two people and demanded cash in return.

On Friday, Saskatchewan's health minister promised to monitor the web for any nefarious transactions, but a Regina IT expert says that will be a tall order.

Police say a nine-year-old child was asked to send inappropriate photographs to a stranger on an app.

The incidents involved Canadian Tire in February 2017 and Bank of Montreal and Simplii Financial in May 2018.

In an interview, Manitoba RCMP Corp. Julie Courchaine suggested reporting any fraud attempts to local police and the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre.

The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health in Toronto and Western University in London, Ont., advised donors recently by email that a ransom was paid by Blackbaud Inc., one of their service providers.

"We are currently investigating if and how we can identify these patients in our system for possible notification," Valley Medical Laboratories spokesperson Jason Doyle said.

A Winnipeg man has been arrested for several robberies in early September, including one where he allegedly held a knife to a child's neck before stealing cash.

In calling for legislation, Ontario Deputy Judge Shane Kelford said it's clear the law has yet to catch up with a growing problem.

Police in Edmonton have charged two people from Ontario with extortion after a local man was allegedly threatened through a text messaging app.