I shared your skepticism, Jeff. This whole thing sounds fishy. You cannot patent an idea. You must prove to the US Patent Office that your device actually works.
Well...not exactly
You are not required to actually build the invention for which you are seeking a patent, so you do not need to prove that it actually works.
Yes, I am a patent holder - on an invention that actually does work. I had to prove that to my backers before they would sponsor the patent costs. I also had to do a lot of research to forestall any possible infringement actions by patent trolls.
There are lots of junk patents out there for inventions which have never been realized in practice - and never will be. You most definitely can patent an idea. Not quite so easy to enforce such a patent. The party with the most lawyers always wins those contests.