Is there a material difference between *the credit report I see on credit karma for myself and the credit report produced by a business or person that runs a credit report on myself?
I can't speak for Credit Karma in particular, but in general, YES.
Agencies and services often provide at least two types of reports. One is a Summary Report and it is given to consumers. The other is a detailed report and it is available to employers, lenders, law enforcement, etc. When you request a report the service will send you a Summary Report if you don't ask for a Detailed Report.
Sometimes the agency or one of its trade groups will setup a front company that only provides summary reports, and they herd consumers to it. I believe that is what Credit Karma does. You can't get the detailed report from Credit Karma because they don't offer it. Meanwhile, Credit Karma will collect your private information like email, phone number and current address, and pump it back into the system. It is a honey pot of sorts.
One service I know that provides Summary and Detailed Reports is Early Warning. Early Warning is a fintech company owned by seven of the country's largest banks. The company can assess risk and authorize transactions in real time from their customer databases. They also supply traditional consumer reports.
(If you are in a data breach and given the choice of Equifax, TransUnion or Experian, then choose Early Warning. It is expensive but it is just about the best service. Be sure to request the Detailed Report).
