Unfortunately, there are hundreds of threads on BP where these unlicensed brokers promote dishonesty and deception to accomplish their goal.

They are promoting the opportunity to investors and getting paid for you to take the risk.It may be completely legit, but your risk definitely comes into play in this set-up and your reward needs to be big.    

There are new tools forming that give promoters the ability to directly bypass the marketplaces and give sponsors the tools they need to control their own capital formation process.  

[Not a promotion.

I was hesitate about becoming a PRO member, and I'm definitely not promoting, but the analyzer itself has really helped in learning the math and numbers in the market. 

Does it provide you a website to promote your vacant listings and accept online applications?  

You can post any kind of self promotion, advertising, or other marketing posts in the Marketplace Forum at http://www.biggerpockets.com/marketplace.In order for you to do that, you have to upgrade to a paid membership.

Besides that cash for keys promotes the mind set of take advantage of the landlord and see if they will pay me.

If he then suggests the rent and the security deposit are handled outside of escrow, I would ask him if he is seriously promoting his clients defraud the bank AND the government?    

Disclosure - I have never worked with a hard money lender on real estate, but work with them on a near daily basis in working with those looking to promote here on BiggerPockets.The line is very blurred between hard money and private money lenders.