How do I turn my iphone into something not useless?

Question

Hi i'm starting to get very frustrated.  I bought an iphone 5 off craiglist the other day and was not aware of the whole needing the other person to be signed out of the account for the phone not to be complete garbage business.  I thought it would work fine after taking it home where I would have wifi and put my sim card into it to work.  I had an Ipod several years ago and was just switching back to the iphone.  Apperantly from google searching and youtube viewing my only option is heavy paper clip and something that involves DNS Bypass which only gives limited capabilities.  I could barely afford this it was 150 dollars.  I broke my other phone and now I am completly screwed.  My only option that I can even think of is to sell it back on craigslist scamming someone else for useless heap of garabage.  I don't want to do that however.  Im a full time student with a part time job and this really hurt me.  Does apple even care about people getting screwed over?  Is there some way I can fix this?  Is there some way I can sell it legitimately?  Is there some way I can actually talk to someone in apple without paying 30 dollars?  If nothing can be done then so be it i'll do what I have to do, but if apple actually reads anything, I want them to know I will forever consider them as satan if nothing can be done.  Thanks for reading and any help!

Answer 1

Sorry, but as sberman indicated, the device is Activation Locked and only the person who put the lock on can take it off. Not sure why you would be vilifying Apple here. The person who screwed you over is the person who scammed you on Craigslist. They undoubtedly sold you a stolen phone.
Go back to the seller and get your money back, if possible. Going forward, if you do purchase a 2nd-hand device, do the following to protect yourself before doling out any money:
How do I check for Activation Lock before purchasing a used device?
When purchasing an iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch from someone other than Apple or an authorized Apple reseller, it is up to you to ensure that the device has been erased and is no longer linked to the previous owner’s account.
You can check the current Activation Lock status of a device by visiting icloud.com/activationlock from any Mac or PC.
Or you can follow the steps below to make sure that you can use the device you purchase:
Turn the device on and slide to unlock.
If the passcode lock screen or the Home screen appears, the device hasn't been erased. Ask the seller to completely erase the device by going to Settings > General > Reset > Erase All Content and Settings. Don't take ownership of any used iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch until it's been erased.
Begin the device setup process.
After choosing a language, choosing a country, and connecting to a network, the device will begin activation. If you're asked for the previous owner’s Apple ID and password, the device is still linked to their account. Hand the device back to the seller and ask them to enter their password. If the previous owner isn't present, they can remove the device from their account by signing in to icloud.com/find. Don't take ownership of any used iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch until it has been removed from the previous owner’s account.
You will know that a device is ready for you to use when you're asked to “Set up your iPhone," “Set up your iPad," or “Set up your iPod” during the device setup process.
Sorry for your troubles,
GB