How can I unlock an iPhone that’s asking for the previous owner’s Apple ID?

Why'd you buy the phone if you can't contact the owner? That seems risky. Just a heads-up, but you might be left with a paperweight unless you get it unlocked.

You're pretty much out of luck unless you can get in touch with the previous owner. If you can, they would need to remove the device from their Apple ID for you to use it.

There's really no way around this without the previous owner. It's tied to their account for security reasons, so contacting them is your best bet.

Honestly, it sounds like you might have ended up with a phone that was previously stolen. In many cases, these devices are only good for parts and can’t be used as functioning phones anymore.