I know the thread is a few months old, but I have some questions that, if answered, can help me verify whether or not the phone is a store demo or infected with a virus. (Hopefully you still have it so you can answer these questions
)
1) Power the phone down completely, and power back on. Do you see anything that says something along the lines of "Live store demo"? If so, then you bought a stolen demo device.
2) If you don't see that, can you boot into recovery or download mode? (If you can, skip to question 3) Usually, demo devices aren't able to be booted into recovery or download mode very easily, or sometimes, not at all.
3) Look around on the screen once its finished booting, do you see anything along the lines of "Live store demo"? If so, then you bought a stolen demo device.
4) What is the model number of the phone? Usually, demo devices have different model numbers. If it has one, which it should, google all the model numbers for your phone and see if the one printed on the phone matches one online. If they match, you can try to flash firmware for the matching model number. If not, Stolen demo device.
5) What antivirus scanner did you use? If it's a free, not very popular, low quality scanner, then I wouldn't believe it. Try Avast or Malwarebytes, both very popular and high-quality virus and malware scanners. Report back the result using 1 out of the 2 (preferably both, just to be safe) scanners, if you still have the phone, of course.
6) Where did you buy it? Did you buy the phone from an official Verizon store or ebay? If you bought it from ebay, It's kinda hard for me to feel bad for you now. If you bought it from Verizon, and they're still not willing to help, I can see a possible lawsuit. (That last part was a joke, but hey, no one said you can't.)
By now, you and I should've come to the conclusion of the type of device you have. If both of us have determined that Verizon is the source of the issue, and you're still receiving no help from them, you have 2 choices (one of which is a joke, but still possible).
A [The serious option]) Back up all important data, copy it to your computer, then do everything in your power to hard-brick the phone. Seriously. Then, once you do, plug in a USB jig to make sure it's truly dead, then bring it into a
different Verizon store and play dumb. Don't tell them you bricked it and don't tell them it was (allegedly) infected with malware, or that it might have been a stolen demo phone. Most carriers don't have time to deal with those issues and will just give you a new device. AND If they don't give you a new phone, I'd honestly threaten to either "take my business elsewhere" (leave Verizon forever and sign with a new carrier) or threaten legal action. Verizon should be held responsible if you received the phone with an infection, but only if you bought it from them, not ebay. If you bought it on ebay, I'd just give up.
B [The joke option, but still possible.]) Back up all important data, copy it to your computer, then do everything in your power to hard-brick the phone. Demand a replacement. If they give you one with no sweat, leave and enjoy the new phone. If they don't, drop the "contaminated" device on the counter, gather your things, give them "the finger", and sign with a new carrier. Which is the ideal option for most people.
If both of us have determined that you bought a stolen demo phone, then I would use it as target practice with an item of your choice, as a way to relieve you of the possible pain and stress of dealing with this whole situation. Best part is, you get to keep all the pieces, literally. Just, remove the battery first, if you can.
Cheers!
I would've imagined that if a person managed to get a hold of one of those store demo phones then Verizon would be able to track it down. Not to mention security cameras.