Replaced hardware Etalk flip phone-won't recognize my sim card

So my prepaid Verizon etalk flip phone shorted out in the rain in July. Taking covers off & drying in sun did not help. Bought an Etalk open box on ebay. Nicely sealed in blister pack. Battery was 0.28 v so I put battery from my old phone in, 4.1 v. Put sim card from my old phone in. No micro-SD card. My account was prepaid through 10/31/24.
So new phone powered up, has messages from Verizon to Alen in 2020 about not paying his bill. Contacts are all people I don't know. All my contacts are gone, as are my messages. How do I turn this into my phone?