I recently purchased an iphone off someone through craigslist. When I went to activate the iphone it told me I need to input the icloud account that was previously in the phone. Is there any way to remove this account? I see many "tools" offered. However they all make you fill out surveys and what not that are very shady. Any info would be great. I'll even paypal you if you can fix it!
Unfortunately it's not possible. iOS 7's failsafe security measure was designed to be 110% failsafe. Unless the original owner of the device inputs the password or provides you with the password, the device cannot be used. There are no utilities that bypasses the iCloud activation lock. Ethical developers will not develop a utility to do so, regardless of whether your are an innocent buyer that was scammed, or a thief that has stolen a device and intends to sell it. Anyone that claims to have a utility to do so is a scammer.
Prior to purchasing any electronic device, particularly cellular devices (phones and tablets), always perform research prior to paying for the device to understand the precautions that you should take as a buyer when purchasing said devices. This post outlines several guidelines that a buyer should take in buying an iOS device. Unfortunately the only way to cut the loss short would be to sell the device for parts to a smartphone parts dealer.
Also, please refrain from duplicate posting the same question/thread/discussion in multiple areas of the forum. This will fragment the solution/discussion, and is against forum rules
