Phonely tackles a growing risk for older people with a service that is both simple and genuinely protective. With thousands of users and tens of thousands of scam reports already informing its system, it is delivering inclusion and safety at meaningful scale. 

Phonely is tackling a growing digital inclusion problem for older people. As the UK moves away from analogue phone lines, millions are being pushed towards digital services that many find confusing, while phone scams are rising fast. The result is serious loss of confidence, isolation and financial harm. People defrauded in their own homes are 2.5 times more likely to die or move into residential care within a year. Phonely offers a simple, voice-first digital landline designed for people with low digital confidence, combined with real-time scam protection. The impact is already clear. Phonely supports 7,821 customers across the UK, its “Who Called Me” service gets around 3,500 visits a day, and it has received 93,649 scam reports. Using this shared intelligence, it has blocked 80,363 suspicious numbers and now blocks an average of 8,483 suspicious callers a month. This gives older people a safer way to stay connected and more confidence to keep using communication technology. 

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