I wonder if it would work to have a local verification system on Masto/Fedi. Like an account of a well known person can be given the thumbs up by instance moderators and people could decide based on the credibility of the instance whether or not that person is who they say they are.

The verification process could be more flexible then, maybe a phone call, or in-person meeting might be enough to have someone verified, and are who they say they are.