"I have also noticed that on the FL FBO page they're getting FBOs to buy tickets for the Global Rally in Paris next year so that they can have 500 UK attendees. Qualification for free attendance doesn't end until December so they must already know that 99% of their FBOs don't stand a chance at qualification."
@dickiedavisthunderthighs good point. It should be a red flag to them. If they really want to be part of the crowd then I expect it's far cheaper to buy a ticket and pay all the other costs in an expensive city than it is to try and purchase their way to qualification (with some of the costs of attending covered, not all).
It's like watching a scammer do a really speedy and apparently complicated bit of maths before announcing the calculations demonstrate that you owe them £50, it should really be more but they're doing you a favour and in a confused state you hand it over while still trying to tot it up in your head. Only later do you realise that they actually owed you.