The murder of Ingrid Lyne, mother of three and local nurse, has left the nation aghast and alarmed.

And while the accused murderer, John Charlton, a man she met through an online dating service, is being charged with first-degree murder, Lyne’s story raises many questions on online dating — Are dating websites and mobile apps safe? Is it a viable place to meet people? What sort of cautionary steps can one take before swiping right (on Tinder)?

Over the past decade, not only has the online dating lost much of its stigma, but also more Americans have been active on the cyber dating scene.

A 2015 study conducted by Pew Research Center shows that 59 percent of Americans agree that online dating is a good way to meet people; in 2005, that number was only 44 percent. Another study from 2015 shows that 15 percent of American adults have reportedly used online dating sites or mobile dating apps, a 2 percent increase from 2013.

In fact, according to a 2013 study conducted by University of Chicago showed that one in three of the subjects met their spouse online and of that demographic, half met their spouse on a dating site.

However Lyne’s story is a cautionary tale, one that reminds us that, while popular, online dating can be dangerous.

Deception is easier when you have a cyber curtain to hide behind. According to one study, 81 percent of online daters lie about their height, weight and age in their profiles.

Mary Frances Cline, communications and events officer at King County Sexual Assault Resource Center, said online dating, much like everything, is a gamble participants are taking.

“It’s a trusting thing,” Cline said. “You take a little bit of a leap of faith. It’s not unlike the Uber cases. One should feel safe using the services offered, but some bad people take advantage of situations.”

“There are precautions that anyone could take when meeting someone for the first time in any type of dating, whether it is a blind date or online dating,” she said.

Commander David Leibman said that while there are “no specific problems with online dating,” there are easy steps one can take to be cautious.

“People should exercise the same caution as meeting any other stranger, like meeting in a public place and not sharing too much personal information until they get to know the other person,” said Leibman. “These days the internet is a good tool for verifying who people claim to be. Anyone using a dating website will most likely be on social media too. Ask to look at their Facebook, Instagram or other social media pages. If they refuse or claim they aren’t on social media, be cautious. A quick Google search of their name should reveal a lot about them as well.”

But are preventative and cautionary steps fool-proof? According to Cline, Lyne’s story suggests that anyone can become a victim, no matter how careful they are.

“Lyne took every precaution seemingly necessary and this still happened,” said Cline. “I think the easy path is to say what could she have done differently but, by doing so, we are blaming the victim when this is so clearly not her fault.”