How do I unbrick an iPhone 4 that has someone elses Apple ID?

[iMore Question]

A friend of mine bought an iPhone 4 from a friend of hers. The problem is that person has their Apple ID still on it and she doen't have a way to get a hold of this person, so now she's basically left with a bricked iPhone 4. She has tried to restore to factory settings and it did not work, any other tricks to unbrick it? Thanks

 

[HankAZ]

A friend of mine bought an iPhone 4 from a friend of hers. The problem is that person has their Apple ID still on it and she doen't have a way to get a hold of this person, so now she's basically left with a bricked iPhone 4. She has tried to restore to factory settings and it did not work, any other tricks to unbrick it? Thanks

Apple added the Activation Lock to iOS 7 to combat the rampant unauthorized reselling of lost/stolen devices. There is no way around this lockout… your only options are to contact the person you bought it from and get (1) the Apple ID login credentials, or (2) your money back. If you bought it from an honest/legitimate seller, they’ll help you out. If you bought a stolen device from a scumbag, you are simply SOL, and you now own a pretty, albeit expensive, paperweight.

I love the Activation Lock concept, but it appears to be punishing the unwitting buyer much more than the scumbag thief.

Now, if the device really is yours and you have forgotten the login credentials, there are a couple of clues.

1. The email address is stated with asterisks blocking part of the address - but there's enough information visible to remind you which email address you used.
2. If you really have forgotten the password, you can reset it at: http://iforgot.apple.com

So there it is. If it's your device, use the link to reset the login. If you purchased the device from someone on eBay or CraigsList or a similar site, take whatever recourse you have against the seller to recover your cash.